THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


ENDOWED  BY  THE 

DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 

SOCIETIES 


00010737900 


^V 


7^  i/c^Uf^ 


SUNSHINE  LIBRARY. 


Aunt  Hannah  and  Seth.    B}-  James  Otis. 

Blind  Brother  (The).     By  Homer  Greene. 

Captain's  Dog  (The>.     By  Louis  finault. 

Cat  and  the  Candle  (The).    By  Mary  F.  Leonard. 

Christmas  at  Deacon  Hackett's.    By  James  Otis. 

Christmas=Tree  Scholar.    By  Frances  Bent  Dillingham. 

Dear  Little  Marchioness. 

The  Story  of  a  Child's  Faith  and  Love. 
Dick  In  the  Desert.    By  James  Otis. 
Divided  Skates.     By  Evelyn  Raymond. 
Gold  Thread  (The'i.    By  Norman  MacLeod,  D.D. 
Half  a  Dozen  Thinking  Caps.    By  Mary  Leonard. 
How  Tommy  Saved  the  Barn.    By  James  Otis. 
Ingleside.     By  Barbara  Yechton. 
J.  Cole.    By  Emma  Gellibrand. 
Jessica's  First  Prayer.    By  Hesba  Stretton. 
Laddie.     By  the  author  of  "  Miss  Toosey's  Mission." 
Little  Crusaders.    By  Eva  Madden. 
Little  Sunshine's  Holiday.    By  Miss  Mulock. 
Little  Peter.    By  Lucas  Malet. 
Master  Sunshine.    By  Mrs.  C.  F.  Eraser. 
Miss  Toosey's  Mission.    By  the  author  of  "  Laddie." 
Musical  Journey  of  Dorothy  and  Delia. 

By  Bradley  Oilman. 
Our  Uncle,  the  Major.    A  Story  of  1765.    By  James  Otis. 
Pair  of  Them  (A).    By  Evelyn  Raymond. 
Playground  Toni.    By  Anna  Chapin  Ray. 
Play  Lady  (The'*.    By  Ella  Farman  Pratt. 
Prince  Prigio.    By  Andrew  Lang. 
Short  Cruise  (A).    By  James  Otis. 
Smoky  Days.    By  Edward  W.  Thomson. 
Strawberry  Hill.    By  Mrs.  C.  F.  Eraser. 
Sunbeams  and  Moonbeams.     By  Louise  R.  Baker. 
Two  and  One.    By  Charlotte  M.  Vaile. 
Wreck  of  the  Circus  (The).    By  James  Otis. 
Young  Boss  (The).    By  Edward  W.  Thomson. 


THOMAS  Y.  CROWELL   &    COMPANY, 
NEW  YORK. 


The  rioonbeams  at  Work. 


1  9'<^^ 


Sunbeams  AND  Moonbeams 


BY 


LOUISE  R.  BAKER 

.    Author  or  "  Cis  Martin 


//-/, 


NEW   YORK 

THOMAS   Y.  CROWELL  &   COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1899, 
By  Thomas  Y.  Crowell  &  Company. 


DEDICATED  TO  MY  MOTHER 


BY 


HER  AFFECTIONATE  DAUGHTER 

Louise  R.  Baker. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

The  Sunbeam  Club 1 

The  Moonbeam  Club 89 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB. 


CHAPTER  I. 

HE  light  fell  into  the  basement  of  the  old 
church  through  the  square,  frosted  windows ; 
not  very  much  light,  for  it  was  a  rainy  Sun- 
day. Sunday  school  was  being  held  in  the 
basement;  and  here  and  there  was  a  class  gathered 
together,  and  sitting  up  in  a  very  decorous  manner  in 
the  straight-backed  pews.  In  one  of  the  pews  were  six 
girls  between  the  ages  of  thirteen  and  sixteen  years. 
They  belonged  to  a  class  that  was  very  proud  of  never 
missing  Sunday  school.  Usually  these  girls  were  ex- 
cited on  a  day  when  it  rained,  but  this  morning  they 
seemed  to  be  rather  listless.  The  truth  is,  they  were 
beo-inninsr  to  feel  that  vacation  was  a  dull  season  of 
the  year;  they  had  been  out  of  school  two  weeks,  and 
already  they  were  longing  for  September  and  school- 
books.  Even  in  the  dim  light  that  found  its  way  through 
the  frosted  windows,  one  could  tell  by  the  dresses  of 
the  six  girls  that  they  belonged  to  well-to-do  parents* 
They  said  their  lesson,  and  joined  in  the  hymn  with  the 
rest  of  the  classes,  and  settled  back  in  the  pew  again  to 
wait  for  the  rain  to  hold  up  a  bit. 

1 


2  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 

Every  one  in  the  dim  basement  had  a  perfect  right 
to  feel  proud  for  coming  to  Sunday  school  on  such 
a  morning.  The  rain  was  pouring  in  torrents ;  it 
dashed  against  the  window  panes  in  a  fury.  The  ever- 
greens in  the  churchyard  groaned  dismally  as  they 
swayed  to  and  fro,  and  every  now  and  then  a  branch 
brushed  across  one  of  the  frosted  windows.  Then  so 
suddenly  that  a  very  little  boy  cried  "Oh !  "  the  beauti- 
ful sun  burst  through  the  clouds,  the  trees  discontinued 
to  sway,  and  the  rain  gave  a  farewell  splash  and  dash 
against  the  windows.  The  storm  was  over ;  and  the  chil- 
dren hurried  out  of  the  large  room,  eager  to  look  at  the 
rainbow. 

The  six  girls  gathered  up  their  rubber-coats  and 
pulled  on  their  overshoes.  They,  too,  at  last,  were 
excited. 

"Isn't  it  glorious!"  exclaimed  Annie  Winthrop,  as 
the  class  stepped  into  the  churchyard,  and  walked  along 
together  down  the  strip  of  pavement  to  the  street. 
"  Doesn't  a  person  feel  good  after  a  rain  ?  " 

"  I  think  it's  the  sun  makes  people  feel  good,"  returned 
Effie  Dorcus,  the  little  girl  with  the  great  velvety  eyes 
and  the  light  curls. 

"  Doesn't  the  sun  seem  glad !  "  cried  Lula  Briggs 
enthusiastically ;  and  the  rest  of  the  class  laughed. 

"  I  suppose  the  sun  feels  glad  because  it  has  some- 
thing to  do,"  remarked  Carrie  Offutt.  "  Oh,  girls,  just 
think  of  all  the  sun  has  to  do !  " 

"  Do  you  mean  dry  up  the  grass  ?  "  inquired  practical 
Rose  Thompson. 


TUB  SUNBJEAM  CLUB.  3 

"  Yes,  and  the  trees,"  said  Carrie  ;  "  and  give  every- 
thing new  life,  and  take  the  puddles  out  of  the  streets, 
and  make  the  flowers  bloom,  and  ever  so  many  other 
things." 

"  And  poor  us,"  said  Effie,  shaking  her  curls  ;  "  we 
haven't  anything  at  all  to  do  since  vacation's  come."' 

"  Poor  us  ! "  echoed  the  rest  of  the  class,  half  laugh- 
ing. 

"I  practised  last  week  until  I  felt  as  if  I  never 
wanted  to  look  at  the  piano  again,"  continued  Effie  ; 
"  and  then  I  took  my  sketch-book,  and  went  out  sketch- 
ing for  three-quarters  of  a  day.  Nobody  knew  where  I 
was  ;  and  papa  was  frightened  when  I  didn't  come  home 
for  lunch  ;  and,  after  all,  my  sketches  were  horrid." 

"  I  don't  believe  a  person  can  do  anything  right  in 
vacation,"  said  Lula.  "  I  thought  I'd  study  my  history 
for  next  year,  and  I  got  over  fift}-  pages  in  three  days. 
On  the  fourth  day  I  asked  mamma  to  hear  me,  and  I 
missed  the  first  question." 

"  Oh,  Lula  !  "  cried  the  class,  in  a  shocked  voice. 

"  It's  true,"  said  Lula ;  "  and  mamma  said  she  didn't 
wonder,  that  vacation  wasn't  the  time  to  study  history." 

"  Oh,  Lula  !  "  cried  the  class  again. 

There  was  such  an  exaggeration  of  the  shocked  ele- 
ment in  the  five  voices  that  Lula,  who  was  about  to 
become  angry,  laughed  instead,  and  asked  what  the  rest 
of  them  had  been  trying  to  do. 

"  I  don't  believe  I'm  brave  enough  to  confess,"  said 
Madge  Hilton,  a  fat  little  girl  with  very  black  eyes. 

"Nor  I,"  "Nor  I,"  "  Nor  I,"  cried  the  other  three. 


4  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  Effie  and  I  have  been  very  frank,"  said  Lula  ;  "  the 
rest  of  you  ouglit  to  follow  our  example." 

"  If  Madge  tells  what  she's  been  doing  or  trying  to  do, 
111  tell  about  myself,"  said  Carrie. 

"And  so  will  I,"  said  Annie. 

"And  so  will  I,"  said  Rose,  in  such  a  tone  of  quiet 
deliberation  that  her  listeners  laug^hed  outris^ht. 

"  Well,"  acknowledged  Madge,  "  I  thought  I'd  learn 
something  about  astronomy  before  next  year;  and  I 
studied  hard  a  week,  and  then  I  took  papa  out  star- 
gazing." 

"  Oh !  you've  been  getting  ahead  of  the  rest  of  us," 
cried  Effie.     "I  don't  think  that  was  fair." 

"  Pride  has  had  its  fall,"  said  Madge  dolefully.  "  I 
got  so  tangled  up  when  I  looked  at  the  stars  with  papa 
beside  me  that  I  didn't  know  a  constellation  ;  and  what 
do  you  think  papa  had  to  point  out  to  me  ?  " 

"Not  the  Milky  Way?"  cried  the  class. 

"  It  was  very  nearly  that  bad,"  answered  Madge.  "  I 
felt  like  crying  when  he  showed  me  the  Little  Dipper 
with  the  North  Star  in  the  handle." 

"  Oh,  well,  you  would  have  cried  if  you'd  been  me, 
last  Wednesday,"  said  Annie  Winthrop,  her  cheeks 
flushing  hotly.  "  I  had  been  going  ahead  with  my 
French,  and  when  Aunt  Maud  came  to  spend  the  even- 
ing mamma  called  on  me  to  read  a  French  exercise.  If 
I'd  been  content  to  read  one  of  those  I  had  gone  over  at 
school  I  would  have  done  well  enouo-h,  thouo-h  I  never 
was  very  good  at  French.  But,  no ;  I  determined  to 
read  something  that  I'd  learned  during  the  vacation, 


TUB  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  5 

and  so,  and  so —  Oh,  girls  !  you  won't  mind  if  I  don't 
tell  you?" 

"Humiliation  is  good  for  the  soul,"  said  Carrie. 
''  Remember  that  my  turn  is  still  to  come,  and  bear  up." 

"  It  was  dreadful,"  murmured  Annie. 

"  Did  you  make  very  many  mistakes  before  your 
aunt?  "  inquired  Effie  gravely. 

"  Many  ?  "  cried  Annie.  ''  The  whole  thing  was  a 
mistake  ;  I  read  the  Avrong  exercise.  I  thought  it  was 
the  one  about  getting  the  fox  and  goose  over  to  the 
island,  and  it  was  the  one  about  the  donkey.  I  got  so 
mixed  up  that  Aunt  Maud  looked  over  my  shoulder, 
and  cried,  *•  Why,  Annie,  you're  reading  the  wrong 
exercise.'  You  can  imagine  how  I  felt;  and  my  mother 
was  so  surprised." 

"Vacation  isn't  the  time  of  year  to  study  French," 
said  Effie  decidedly. 

"That's  what  mamma  said  after  she  overcame  her 
surprise,"  said  Annie.  "I'd  read  the  English,  you 
know,  when  I  studied,  —  the  way  I  always  declared  we 
ought  to  study  at  school,  —  and  I  was  perfectly  sure  it 
was  the  exercise  about  the  fox  and  goose.  I'll  never 
forget  Aunt  Maud's  expression  when  she  cried,  '  Why, 
Annie,  you're  reading  the  wrong  exercise.  This  is  the 
one  about  the  donkey.'  " 

"  Now,  Carrie,  tell  your  story,"  said  one  of  the  girls, 
in  a  whisper ;  they  all  felt  very  sorry  for  Annie. 

"  My  tale  of  woe,"  said  Carrie,  "  has  nothing  to  do 
with  anything  so  hifalutin  as  astronomy  or  French; 
it's  about  mathematics." 


6  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"O  Carrie!"  cried  the  class.  Every  one  present 
knew  that  mathematics  was  Carrie's  weak  point. 

"  I  offered  to  cut  out  a  dress  for  the  baby,  and  I  cut 
it  out  by  measurement.  Of  course  I  got  my  measure- 
ments wrong.  Mother  was  nearly  worried  to  death. 
She  hasn't  got  over  wishing  that  I'd  cut  it  too  large 
instead  of  too  small.  I  ruined  the  goods,  and  it  was 
very  expensive.  The  only  person  in  the  house  that 
didn't  mind  was  the  baby ;  bless  its  little  heart !  You 
may  laugh,  girls  ;  but  it  is  no  fun  to  have  to  pay  for  an 
expensive  baby  dress  out  of  a  person's  allowance,  and 
that  is  what  my  mistake  means  to  me.  Mother  says  it 
will  make  me  more  careful.  Now,  Rose,  give  in  your 
experience." 

"  Oh,  I,"  said  Rose,  sighing ;  "  I  undertook  to  teach 
Willie  Latin." 

"  Rose,  you  didn't  ?  "  cried  the  girls. 

"  You  needn't  upbraid  me,"  said  Rose  very  quietly. 
"  I've  learned  my  lesson  thoroughly :  I'll  never  be  con- 
ceited again  in  regard  to  my  Latin  ;  my  little  brother 
knows  more  than  I  do.  But  really,  as  father  says,  vaca- 
tion isn't  the  time  to  teach  Latin." 

"Your  father  is  right,"  said  Carrie  Offutt  decidedly. 
"  But  it  seems  as  if  we  ought  to  do  something  during 
the  vacation.  I  know  there  is  a  great  deal  we  might  do 
if  we  could  only  think  of  the  right  things." 

"  We  would  have  to  think  of  so  many  things  to  last 
the  whole  of  the  vacation,"  said  Lula,  sighing. 

"  Well,  there  are  six  of  us  to  think,"  said  Effie. 

"  Girls,"  proposed  Madge,  "  let's  range  ourselves  in  a 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  7 

line  and  walk  down  the  street,  and  don't  let's  turn  until 
somebody  tliinks  of  something  for  us  to  do." 

^'Something  just  the  oj^posite  of  studying,"  said 
Annie. 

"  French  exercises  anyway,"  said  Carrie. 

"  And  no  one  can  speak  a  work  until  she  has  thought 
of  something,"  said  Effie. 

"  Something  practical,"  said  Rose. 

The  six  girls  accordingly  ranged  themselves  in  a  line, 
each  put  out  the  right  foot,  and  they  started  down  the 
street,  keeping  step  as  they  walked. 

"  What  if  we  can't  think  of  anything  ?  "  asked  Carrie 
suddenly. 

"  Silence  !  "  ordered  Madge. 

After  awhile  Lula  Briggs  heaved  a  sigh.  Evidently 
she  had  thought  of  nothing ;  evidently,  also,  she  was 
weary  of  the  silence. 

But  no  one  paid  any  attention  to  Lula's  sigh. 

The  line  of  silent  girls  passed  on  down  the  street. 
The  sun,  shining  out  brightly,  was  quickly  drinking  up 
the  puddles.  They  came  to  the  town  square,  or  park  as 
it  was  called,  and  passed  the  flower-beds  fresh  and 
sparkling  after  the  rain.  The  town  was  two  miles  long. 
Suppose  they  would  have  to  walk  to  the  end  of  it  ! 
What  if  when  they  reached  the  end  of  it  no  one  had  yet 
thought  of  something  for  them  to  do !  Would  they,  in 
that  case,  have  to  splash  along  in  the  mud  of  the 
country? 

"  We  certainly  are  gumps  not  to  be  able  to  think  of 
something,"  thought  Lula. 


8  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  I  can't  say  sew,"  thouglit  Carrie,  "  or  they'll  all 
laugh.  I  can't  help  it  if  I  haven't  a  talent  for  sewing. 
I  think  it  would  be  real  nice  for  us  girls  to  have  a  sew- 
ing-circle, and  make  up  a  lot  of  underclothing  and  things. 
If  somebody  doesn't  hurry  and  think  of  something,  I'll 
speak  right  out  for  the  sewing-circle  ;  we  can't  keep  on 
walking  all  day ;  and  the  people  will  think  us  crazy  if 
we  go  into  the  country." 

"  It  would  be  nice  to  have  flower-beds,"  thousrht  Eflie. 
"  Only  I  suppose  it  is  too  late  in  the  season  to  begin  ; 
seeds  ought  to  be  planted  in  the  spring  of  the  year. 
Oh,  dear,  I  can't  think  of  a  thing ! " 

Rose  Thompson  was  gazing  thoughtfully  out  before 
her  as  she  walked.  "  It  will  be  a  wise  person,"  she  was 
thinking,  "  who  will  mention  something  that  all  six  of 
us  will  like  to  do.  I  never  knew  six  girls  belonging 
to  different  families  to  have  the  same  inclinations.  I'm 
afraid  we  are  undertaking  an  utter  impossibility,  and  I 
don't  feel  like  leaving  the  pavements  for  a  walk  in  the 
countr}'.  If  we  had  on  rubber-boots  it  might  be  differ- 
ent. Effie  Dorcus,"  she  cried  suddenly,  "you'll  catch 
3^our  death  of  cold  if  you  don't  go  home  ;  that's  the  third 
puddle  you've  stepped  into ;  and  your  mother  will  be 
blaming  the  whole  of  us." 

"Oh  !  "  cried  Effie  lugubriously;  "  I  thought  you  had 
thought  of  something." 

"  I  have  thought  of  something,"  cried  Annie  ;  "  some- 
thing grand,  but  I  was  afraid  to  break  the  solemn  silence." 

"Then  we  might  as  well  turn  around,  girls,"  said 
Madge. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  9 

They  turned  around,  and  Carrie  proposed  that  Annie 
should  get  into  the  middle  of  the  line. 

"  As  nearly  as  she  can,"  said  practical  Rose ;  "  there 
are  six  of  us." 

'''  I'll  walk  backwards,"  said  Carrie.  "  Tell  me  when 
I'm  coming  to  a  mud-hole.  Go  ahead,  Annie,  we  are 
lonofinor  to  hear  w^iat  we  are  all  to  do." 

"Well,"  said  Annie,  "in  the  first  place,  everybody 
has  got  to  think  again." 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Carrie  disconsolately, 

"  After  this  attempt  you  ought  to  know,"  said  Effie, 
"  that  some  of  us  can't  think." 

"We  can  take  a  longer  time,"  said  Annie;  "and 
then,  besides,  it  will  be  different." 

"  It  is  very  dull  work  trying  to  think,"  said  Lula. 
"  One  feels  so  very  stupid  when  one  can't  think  of  any- 
thing sensible.     But  explain  yourself,  mademoiselle." 

"  Well,"  said  Annie,  "  I  have  thought  that  we  might 
form  a  club  or  a  society  or  whatever  you  choose  to  call 
it.     We'd  be  Sunbeams,  you  know." 

"  Oh,  that  will  be  delicious  !  "  cried  Effie. 

"  There  are  six  of  us,"  Annie  continued ;  "  one  for 
each  day  in  the  week." 

"Yes,"  said  Carrie,  with  a  gasp ;  "  there  are  just  six 
of  us." 

"  And  you  know,  girls,  it  would  be  difficult  for  six 
girls  always  to  want  to  do  the  same  thing,"  said 
Annie. 

"  That  is  what  I  thought,"  cried  Rose  ;  "  and  that  was 
why  I  couldn't  tliink  of  anything.     Six  girls  all  belong- 


10        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

ing  to  diiferent  families  are  not  likely  to  have  the  same 
inclinations/' 

"  Well,"  continued  Annie,  "  each  of  us,  therefore,  is  to 
take  a  da}^  of  the  week,  and  all  the  others  are  to  do  what 
the  girl  who  has  the  day  of  the  week  wishes  them  to 
do.     That  is  what  I  thought." 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams,  confounded. 

"  Girls,  I  don't  know  what  you'll  do  on  my  day ! " 
cried  Carrie. 

"  Nor  on  mine,"  said  Lula. 

"  Oh,  I  can  think  of  something,  I'm  sure  !  "  said  Rose. 

"  And  so  can  I,"  cried  Madge. 

"  We  three,  then,  will  take  the  first  three  days  of  the 
week,"  said  Annie. 

"Annie  the  first,"  cried  the  rest  of  the  Sunbeams. 

"  Oh,  girls,  let  me  have  Saturday ! "  cried  Carrie ; 
"you  all  know  what  a  poor  hand  I  am  at  thinking." 

"And  me,  Friday,"  said  Effie. 

"And  me,  Thursday,"  said  Lula. 

In  this  informal  manner  the  Sunbeam  Club  was  formed 
as  the  six  members  walked  back  up  the  sunwashed 
street. 

"  When  are  you  going  to  let  us  know  what  we  are  to 
do,  Annie  ?  "  asked  Carrie,  to  whose  home  they  came 
first. 

"  Some  time  this  afternoon." 

The  Sunbeams  bade  one  another  good-by  in  hearty 
good  humor.  The  irksomeness  of  vacation  appeared  to 
be  broken.  All  of  them  were  looking  forward  to  the 
variety  and  excitement  of  the  coming  week. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB,  11 

That  afternoon  the  excitement  was  increased  by  the 
following  short  note  received  by  five  of  the  Sunbeams : 

"  Come  early  to-morrow  morning.     Wear  old  dresses.     Mamma 
thinks  it  is  just  splendid. 

Annie  Winthrop." 


12        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ONDAY  morning,  bright  and  early,  the  six 
Sunbeams  met  in  the  library  of  Mrs.  Win- 
throp ;  Annie  herself,  in  a  beaming  condition, 
having  opened  the  door  to  the  other  five. 

"  Mamma  thinks  it  will  be  real  nice,"  said  Annie,  from 
the  midst  of  the  Sunbeams.  "Effie  Dorcus,  why  didn't 
you  put  on  an  old  dress  ?  " 

"  Well !  "  cried  Effie,  "I  don't  think  you  have  looked 
at  the  sleeves  !  " 

The  members  of  the  club  laughed  as  they  took  time 
to  look  at  Effie's  sleeves,  which  were  a  size  smaller  than 
the  style  of  the  day  demanded. 

''  I'm  sure  my  costume  suits  you.  Miss  Winthrop," 
said  Carrie,  twirling  around  in  front  of  her  hostess. 

''Yes,  it  does,"  said  Annie,  laughing. 

Carrie  wore  a  faded  gingham  frock  with  very  tight 
sleeves,  and  a  rather  short  skirt. 

"  I  hope  I'll  be  able  to  use  my  arms,"  she  said.  "  If 
I  tear  the  thing,  we'll  have  to  wait  till  dark  to  come 
home,  or  else  borrow  something." 

"What  are  we  to  do?"  demanded  Rose. 

"  Where  are  we  going  ?  "  asked  Madge. 

"  Some  place,  I  hope,  where  nobody  will  make  fun  of 
my  waist,"  cried  Lula. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  13 

"  We  are  going,"  said  Annie,  with  an  air  of  mystery 
about  her,  "out  into  the  country  to  the  home  of  Mr. 
Gillihxnd,  the  poet." 

"  Good  gracious  !  "  exclaimed  Carrie  ;  "  going  to  see  a 
poet  in  such  garb  as  this  ?  We'll  start  him  to  writing 
dialect,  if  he  hasn't  already  caught  the  disease." 

"  You  might  have  allowed  us  to  dress  decently,  Annie 
Winthrop,  if  we  are  going  to  see  a  poet,"  said  Madge. 

"  We  won't  see  him,"  said  Annie ;  "  he's  in  the  city 
every  day  from  nine  until  four.  Girls,"  she  added,  im- 
pressively, "  we're  going  to  clean  up  the  poet's  house." 

"  Oh !  "  screamed  the  listening  Sunbeams. 

"I'll  take  five  minutes  to  tell  you  about  it,"  said 
Annie,  "  and  then  we're  off.  Remember  to-day  is  my 
day,  and  every  one  has  to  do  what  I  order." 

"  Certainly,"  agreed  the  Sunbeams,  in  a  breath. 

"  Well,  listen.  Last  Saturday  Mr.  Gilliland  was  in 
here — he's  a  friend  of  papa,  you  know;  he  was  in 
here,  and  he  told  mamma  that  he  really  was  ashamed  to 
invite  his  friends  to  call  at  his  house,  everything  was  in 
such  a  state  of  confusion,  and  yet  he  didn't  like  to  put 
a  woman  in  to  clean  up  the  place  ;  he  didn't  know  what 
she  might  do  with  his  papers.  Then  he  looked  around 
at  me  and  laughed ;  and,  indeed,  indeed,  girls,  this  is 
what  he  said,  '  Now,  if  I  had  a  little  girl  like  Annie, 
there,  I  wouldn't  be  at  all  afraid  to  allow  her  to  clean  up 
the  place  for  me.'  " 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  the  listeners  jubilantly ;  then  practical 
Rose  said  deliberately,  "  How  can  we  get  into  the  poet's 
house  when  the  poet  is  away  ?  " 


14        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  He  never  locks  any  of  the  doors,"  said  Annie.  "  He 
declares  that  people  are  not  as  bad  as  the  world  makes  out. 
He  says  he  has  never  had  anything  stolen,  that  he 
knows  of.  True,  he  did  say  also  that  he  didn't  imagine 
there  was  much  in  his  bachelor  home  to  tempt  a  thief." 

"  I  wonder  if  he  has  a  broom,"  said  Effie  gravely. 

"And  a  duster,"  said  Madge. 

''He  may  have  a  broom,"  said  Annie  doubtingly; 
"but  I'm  morally  sure  that  Mr.  Gilliland  has  never 
had  a  duster." 

"  Then  we'd  better  take  both,"  said  Carrie. 

"And  a  dust-pan,"  said  Rose. 

"  And  some  window-cloths,"  said  Lula. 

"  Annie,  run  and  get  the  things  we  need,"  cried 
Carrie.  "  It's  going  to  take  us  a  long  time  to  clean  up 
a  bachelor's  hall,  and  it  will  never  do  to  let  the  poet 
come  home  from  the  city  and  find  us  at  work." 

Annie  made  a  happy  exit  from  the  library,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  she  had  the  cook  and  the  house-maid  both 
helping  to  supply  her  with  the  necessary  implements 
with  which  to  clean  up  a  house. 

"  Mamma  said  we  could  have  Liza  to  go  with  us  to 
sweep,"  she  announced,  returning  w4th  a  load ;  "  but  I 
refused.  Mr.  Gilliland  might  not  like  it ;  and  then,  be- 
sides, Liza  has  enough  of  work  on  hand.  The  Sunbeam 
Club  is  only  for  us  who  have  nothing  to  do." 

"  Exactly,"  said  Rose. 

The  Sunbeams  divided  up  the  implements,  Eflfie  de- 
claring that  as  long  as  she  was  considered  to  be  dressed 
so  fine  she  would  carry  the  broom. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  15 

"People  will  know  then  that  I  belong  to  the  party," 
she  said,  with  a  merry  laugh  and  a  shake  of  her  curls  ; 
"  and  perhaps  they'll  be  too  much  interested  to  notice 
my  horrid  sleeves." 

Mrs.  Winthrop  had  arranged  an  appetizing  luncheon 
for  the  workers ;  and  they  started  on  their  journey  with 
delight  in  their  hearts,  and  determination  and  energy 
showing  in  six  pairs  of  springing  feet. 

The  poet's  home  was  half  a  mile  from  the  town, 
a  little  white  vine-covered  house,  as  pretty  a  picture 
as  one  would  care  to  see  on  a  summer  day.  The 
door  was  found  unlocked  as  was  expected,  and  the  six 
Sunbeams  blithely  entered. 

A  feeling  of  awe  came  over  the  girls  as  they  stood 
silent  for  a  minute  in  the  first  room.  It  was  evidently 
the  poet's  study,  his  sanctum  sanctorum.  Then  Carrie 
put  her  hands  on  the  great  oak  desk,  and  lifted  them 
and  cried,  "Girls,  look  at  the  dust;  it  is  half  an  inch 
thick ! "  and  after  that  the  awed  feeling  passed  away ; 
and  the  Sunbeams  threw  more  light  upon  the  subject 
by  raising  the  poet's  curtains,  and  looked  about  them 
with  interest. 

"First  of  all  we  will  have  to  sweep,"  said  Effie, 
flourishing  her  broom. 

"  No,"  said  Annie  ;  "  first  of  all  we  will  have  to  dust." 

"  Dust  before  we  sweep !  "  cried  Madge.  "  I  never 
heard  of  such  a  thing  !  " 

"Annie's  right,"  said  Rose.  "We'll  have  to  dust 
and  sweep,  and  then  dust  again." 

"Yes,"   said   Annie,    "that's    what  I   mean.       The 


16  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 

sweeping  wouldn't  count  for  much  if  we  brushed  all 
the  cobwebs  and  dust  upon  the  clean  floor.  Now,  girls, 
remember,  it's  my  day." 

"Certainly,"  cried  the  five  Sunbeams. 

"  As  long  as  you  have  the  %)room,  Effie,"  Annie  con- 
tinued, "  you  might  as  well  go  to  work  brushing  down 
the  cobwebs.  Rose,  take  the  hand-brush,  and  begin  to 
dust  the  chairs.  The  rest  of  us  will  use  the  common 
dusting-cloths,  Lula  helping  me  to  dust  the  desk,  and 
Carrie  and  Madge  can  each  take  a  table.  Girls,"  she 
added  impressively,  "  be  sure  to  put  everything  back 
in  its  place." 

"  Certainly,''  cried  the  Sunbeams,  under  orders. 

Then  the  head  of  the  Club  clasped  her  hands  in  con- 
sternation, and  cried  out,  "  Oh,  girls !  we  didn't  bring  any 
dust-caps  ;  we'll  be  sights." 

The  Sunbeams  gazed  stupidly  at  one  another. 

*'  What  will  we  do  ?  "  asked  Rose  of  nobody  in  par- 
ticular. 

"  Perhaps  there  is  something  in  the  house  that  will 
answer  the  purpose,  pillow  cases  or  something,"  haz- 
arded Madofe. 

"  Oh,  no!  we  mustn't  use  anything  in  the  house;  not 
the  first  time,  anyway,"  said  Annie.  ''  How  many  of  us 
have  aprons  ?  " 

"I,"  "And  I,"  "And  I,"  cried  Rose  and  Lula  and 
Madge. 

"And  r,  of  course,"  said  Annie. 

"  And  I,"  cried  Effie. 

Five  of   the  Sunbeams  laughed  in   an  amused  way 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  17 

over  Effie's  apron.  It  was  a  little  black  silk  thing  with 
ribbons  at  the  pockets. 

''It  isn't  large  enough  to  cover  your  curls,  Effie," 
said  Rose. 

"  I  have  something  that  will  do  for  myself,"  ex- 
claimed Carrie.  "  I  was  wise  in  the  selection  of  my 
costume ;  I  put  on  a  colored  petticoat."  In  an  instant 
Carrie  liad  unfastened  and  danced  out  of  her  colored 
skirt,  and  was  tying  it  over  her  brown  braided  hair. 
''Poor  little  Effie,"  she  said,  "it's  quite  big  enough  for 
the  two  of  us,  and  I'd  be  delighted  to  tear  it  in  half  and 
share  it ;  but  I'll  shake  the  dust  out  and  wear  it  home." 

"  Effie  must  have  a  dusting-cap,"  said  Annie,  "  if  we 
have  to  tie  several  handkerchiefs  together  and  make 
her  one." 

Effie's  dusting-cap,  when  completed,  set  them  laugh- 
ing afresh,  even  Effie  herself  as  she  gazed  at  her  reflec- 
tion in  one  of  the  poet's  paper-weights. 

"It  will  keep  the  dust  off  my  hair,  anyway,"  she 
said,  "  and  make  us  all  think  of  dust-caps  next  time  ; 
for  nobody  is  going  to  forget  what  a  sight  I  am." 

It  took  quite  a  long  time,  as  one  of  the  Sunbeams 
had  prophesied,  to  clean  up  the  poet's  house ;  but  they 
were  very  proud  of  the  transformation,  especially  proud 
of  the  change  in  the  poet's  study,  where  the  light  fell 
through  the  polished  window  panes  upon  the  polished 
desk. 

"  I  believe  that  amateurs  are  better  than  professionals 
when  it  comes  to  house-cleaning,"  cried  Carrie  enthu- 
siastically. 


18        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  They  take  such  pleasure  in  their  work,"  said  Rose. 

"  Mr.  Gilliland  will  hardly  know  his  own  room," 
cried  Annie  ;  "  and  yet  every thihg  has  been  put  back  in 
the  same  place." 

''  Not  the  cobwebs,"  cried  Effie. 

"  Nor  the  dust,"  echoed  Lula. 

"  Nor  the  scraps  of  paper  that  the  poet  had  torn  up 
and  thrown  over  everything,"  cried  Madge.  "  I  wonder 
if  he'll  try  to  do  better,  and  make  some  use  of  the  scrap- 
basket?" 

It  was  half-past  two  o'clock  when  the  Sunbeams 
settled  down  to  their  luncheon  under  a  tree  in  the 
poet's  yard.  When  they  finished  eating  they  all  went 
back  to  cast  a  last  admiring  look  at  the  sanctum. 

"  Annie  Winthrop,"  cried  Carrie  suddenly,  "  suppose 
after  all  Mr.  Gilliland  gets  mad." 

"  And  isn't  a  bit  grateful,"  said  Rose.  "  Some  men 
are  that  way." 

"  But  not  Mr.  Gilliland,"  said  Annie.  "  He's  a  friend 
of  papa's.  Mamma  said  she  was  sure  he  would  be 
pleased.  Wh}-,  last  Saturday  he  looked  right  at  me 
when  he  laughed  and  said,  '  If  I  had  a  little  girl,  like 
Annie  there,  I  wouldn't  be  at  all  afraid  to  allow  her  to 
clean  up  the  place  for  me.' " 

"But  he  might  object  to  t??^,"  said  Carrie. 

"  Well,  all  I've  got  to  say  is,  that  if  he  gets  mad  with 
us  for  what  we've  done  for  him  that  he's  not  a  very 
nice  kind  of  a  man,"  said  Effie. 

"  But  poets  are  nice  men,  aren't  they,  Annie  ? " 
asked  Lula. 


TUE  SUNBEAM   CLUB.  19 

"  Not  all  of  them,"  said  Rose  mournfully.  "  Some 
of  them  are  irritable,  and  disagreeable  and  mean  to  their 
families.     I've  read  about  that  kind." 

"Mr.  Gilliland  is  very  pleasant,"  cried  Annie;  "  and 
he's  a  friend  of  papa's." 

"  But  he'll  be  so  surprised,"  said  Carrie.  "  He'll  see 
that  people  have  been  in  his  house,  and  perhaps  he'll 
begin  to  lock  the  doors." 

All  the  Sunbeams  looked  down  and  blushed.  It  was 
not  a  very  agreeable  thought. 

"After  all  the  pains  we've  taken  too,"  murmured 
Effie. 

"  It's  a  great  pity  there  are  no  such  things  as  fairies," 
said  Rose,  "  so  that  Mr.  Gilliland  could  imagine  that  he 
had  had  a  visit  from  the  fairies." 

"  His  house,  you  mean,"  corrected  Carrie.  "  I  don't 
see  how  any  man  could  help  but  be  glad." 

"The  best  thing  for  us  to  do,"  said  Annie  quietly, 
"will  be  to  confess  to  Mr.  Gilliland." 

"  How  ?  "  cried  the  rest  of  the  Sunbeams. 

"  By  leaving  an  explanatory  note  on  his  desk." 

"  But  we'd  have  to  use  his  pen,  ink,  and  paper,"  said 
Effie  ;  "  and  he'd  think  instantly  that  we'd  been  meddling 
with  his  things." 

"I  have  a  note-book,"  said  Rose  ;  "we  can  use  a  page 
of  that." 

"  And  I  have  a  pencil,"  said  Madge.  "  You  will 
have  to  write  the  note,  Annie." 

"Yes,  of  course,"  said  Carrie,  "because  he's  your 
papa's  friend." 


20        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  And  because  it's  your  day,  you  know,"  said  Lula. 

"  Yes,  of  course,  I'll  write  the  note,"  said  Annie, 
accepting  the  paper  and  pencil.  Then  she  looked 
around  in  dismay.  "Girls,"  she  inquired,  "do  any  of 
you  know  how  to  spell  Gilliland  ?  " 

"  No,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Not  one  of  you  ?  " 

"  No." 

'•I'll  have  to  begin  it  '  Mr.  Poet.'  " 

"  Won't  it  look  funny  ?  "  asked  Madge. 

"  You  say  '  Mr.  President,'  "  said  Effie. 

"  If  you  sa}^  '  Mr.  President,'  then  certainly  you  can 
say  'Mr.  Poet,'  "  cried  Carrie.  "Oh!  I'm  sure  it  will 
be  all  right." 

"Dear  Mr.  Poet,  [Annie  wrote],  We  hope  you  will  not 
mind  that  we  cleaned  up  your  house,  especially  when  we  tell  you 
that  we  have  nothing  to  do,  and  find  vacation  hanging  heavy. 
We  have  put  everything  back  in  its  proper  place,  as  you  will  find. 
It  has  given  us  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  clean  up  your  house  ;  and 
we  trust  that  you  will  let  us  do  it  again,  for  we  have  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  in  order  to  be  happy  we  must  be  busy  during  the 
vacation,  and  vacation  is  not  the  time  to  study.  If  you  do  not 
object  to  what  we  have  done  to-day,  and  allow  us  to  do  the  same 
next  week,  we  will  be  much  obliged  if  you  will  let  your  door  re- 
main open  as  you  are  in  the  habit  of  doing,  and  will  leave  a  little 
note  for  us  right  here  on  your  desk.  We  are  very  sorry,  indeed,  if 
M'e  have  cleaned  up  your  house  against  your  will ;  but  we  are  only 
six  school-girls  with  nothing  to  do,  and  we  have  been  very,  very, 
particular  in  putting  all  your  papers  and  everything  else  back  in 
the  same  places.  Very  truly  yours, 

The  Sunbeam  Club. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  21 

'•  No,"  cried  Carrie  rapturously,  after  listening  to  this 
letter,  '^  Mr.  Gilliland  is  not  going  to  get  mad.  But  do 
let's  hurry  away,  girls,  or  he  might  catch  us." 

The  Sunbeams  trudged  off  up  the  long  green  lane, 
Effie  flourishing  the  broom  that  had  done  such  good 
service  in  the  poet's  home.  Mr.  Gilliland,  approaching 
the  white  house  by  a  short  cut  across  the  field,  watched 
the  procession  with  wonder  in  his  eyes. 

"  We  have  had  a  delightful  day,"  said  Rose,  jumping 
Mrs.  Winthrop's  diminished  cake  of  soap  from  one  hand 
to  the  other. 

"  Have  you  thought  of  anything  for  to-morrow,  Miss 
Thompson?"  asked  Effie. 

"Yes,"  returned  Rose,  blushing;  "but  it  isn't  any- 
thing like  this." 

"'Variety's  the  spice  of  life,'"  quoted  Lula. 

"  When  are  you  going  to  tell  us  about  it  ? "  asked 
Madge. 

"  Oh,  tell  us  now !  "  cried  Annie. 

"  Right  here  in  the  green  woods,"  said  Effie. 

"  But  it  isn't  anything  about  the  country,"  said  Rose. 

"  How  are  we  to  dress?  "  asked  Annie. 

"I'll  tell  you  how  you're  to  dress  and  what  you're  to 
bring  with  you,"  said  Rose  ;  "  but  I  won't  tell  you  until 
to-morrow  where  we're  going." 

"  Are  we  to  bring  dust-caps  ?  "  asked  Madge. 

"  I  can't  wear  my  petticoat  in  town,"  said  Carrie. 

"  You're  to  dress  in  ordinary  clothes,  just  as  if  you 
w^ere  going  to  school,"  explained  Rose  ;  "and  everybody 
is  to  bring  a  needle  and  thread." 


22        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  My  sewing-circle  !  "  cried  Carrie,  aghast.  '*  Well, 
I'll  have  to  think  of  something  else  by  Saturday." 

"  What  must  we  bring  to  sew  ?  "  asked  Lula. 

"  Nothing,"  answered  Rose. 

"  Needles  and  thread  and  nothing  to  sew ;  all  right !  " 
cried  Carrie. 

"  And  thimbles,"  added  Rose. 

''  Needles  and  thread  and  thimbles,"  repeated  Effie ; 
"and  we'll  know  all  about  it  to-morrow  morning?  " 

"  Yes,  meet  at  my  house  just  as  we  all  met  at  Annie's, 
and  we'll  start  out  together,"  said  Rose. 

The  Sunbeams  fell  asleep  that  night  in  pleasant 
anticipation  of  another  busy  and  novel  day. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  23 


CHAPTER   III. 

I  HE  six  members  of  the  Sunbeam  Club  were 
provided  with  needles  and  thread,  according 
to  the  order  given  on  the  previous  evening, 
and  Rose  proceeded  to  make  known  her  plan 
of  operation. 

"  You  see,"  she  said,  "  there  are  ever  so  many  people 
who  don't  know  how  to  sew,  and  yet  have  to  make  their 
children's  clothes.  It  is  to  people  of  this  kind  that  we 
will  devote  our  attention." 

"  And  our  needles  and  thread,"  said  Lula. 

"  First  we  will  go  to  Mrs.  William  Engle,"  Rose  con- 
tinued. "She  has  ever  so  many  children;  she's  very 
poor;  she  doesn't  know  how  to  sew,  but  she  makes  all 
the  children's  clothes.  She  has  a  sewing-machine,  and 
she's  about  to  make  the  twins  a  number  of  dresses. 
The  poor  children  are  perfect  sights  on  account  of  their 
clothes.     The  twins  are  to  start  into  school  in  the  fall." 

"  Decidedly,  Mrs.  Engle's  house  is  a  suitable  place  for 
the  Sunbeams,"  remarked  Annie. 

"And  she  won't  object  to  our  offer  of  assistance,  will 
she?"  asked  Madge.  "The  day  somebody  refuses  to 
let  us  in,  I'm  afraid  I'll  die." 

"I'm  morally  certain  that  Mrs.  Engle  will  be  glad 
to  see  us,"  said  Rose. 


24        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  You  mustn't  let  Carrie  cut  out  any  of  the  children's 
dresses,"  said  Effie,  "if  they're  so  ver}-  poor." 

"  Carrie  is  to  run  the  sewing-machine,"  said  Rose. 

"Oh,  that  will  be  fine  I "  cried  Carrie  gratefully. 
"Even  mamma  allows  that  I  can  run  the  sewing- 
machine." 

"How  old  are  I\Irs.  Engle's  cliiklren?"  asked  Annie. 

"  Oh  !  there  are  ever  so  many  of  them,  and  they're  all 
ages,"  said  Rose;  "but  I  think  she's  only  going  to 
make  dresses  for  the  twins." 

"How  mean!"  cried  Madge. 

"The  twins  are  to  go  to  school,"  said  Effie  gravely. 
"The  other  children's  clothes,  I  suppose,  are  good 
enough  for  around  home." 

"You  can  cut  out  clothes,  can't  you,  Annie?"  asked 
Rose. 

"Yes,  if  I  have  a  pattern,"  answered  Annie. 

"  You  and  I  will  cut  out  the  dresses,  then.  Mamma 
has  provided  me  with  patterns.  After  we  finish  cutting 
out,  the  whole  of  us  will  tr}^  to  keep  up  to  the  Sunbeam 
running  the  machine.  It  is  because  I  know  how  to  cut 
out  dresses  that  I  first  thought  of  this  plan,"  added 
Rose  modestly. 

"Well,"  said  Carrie,  "if  Vm  to  liave  the  machine, 
somebody  else  had  better  take  possession  of  this." 
She  took  out  of  her  pocket  an  emery-bag,  and  tossed 
it  across  to  Efifie.     "No  one  can  afford  to  sew  durinor 

o 

w^arm  weather  without  an  emery-bag." 

"  Three  cheers  for  Miss  Forethought !  "  cried  Effie 
rapturously. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  25 

"Three  more  for  the  emery-bag,"  said  Rose;  "for  we 
certainly  will  need  it,  especially  if  we  work  as  hard 
to-day  as  we  did  yesterday.  Well,  girls,  let's  start 
out." 

"  You  will  have  to  do  all  the  talking.  Rose,"  said 
Carrie,  "because  it's  your  day." 

"  I  do  hope  Mrs.  Engle  will  let  us  in,"  added  Madge. 

Mrs.  Engle  let  them  in  with  a  look  of  unbounded 
surprise  on  her  face ;  she  let  them  into  her  plain  little 
parlor,  and  raised  the  paper  blind,  and  sat  down  and 
looked  at  them.  Three  of  the  Sunbeams  had  found 
chairs,  and  three  of  them  were  sitting  close  together 
on  the  hard  little  parlor  sofa. 

"  Laws  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Engle  ;  ''  I  don't  know  who  you 
are." 

"That's  Rose  Thompson,"  said  Carrie  quickly; 
"Doctor  Thompson's  daughter,  and  we,  we're  her 
friends." 

"  Doctor  Thompson's  daughter,  is  that  so  ? "  said 
Mrs.  Engle,  regarding  Rose  with  special  interest.  "  Of 
course  I  know  Doctor  Thompson  ;  everybody  here  in 
Lovettsville  is  acquainted  with  him.  So  you're  his 
daughter  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Rose;  "and  we  girls  are  all  in  the  same 
class  at  school  and  at  Sunday-school ;  and  we've  been 
having  a  dull  time  during  vacation,  and  we've  come  to 
ask  a  favor  of  you.  We've  tried  ever  so  many  things, 
but  we  can't  study  and  we  can't  enjoy  ourselves  doing 
nothing." 

"  Well,  I  declare !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Engle,  in  fresh 


26        SUNBEAMS  AXD  MOONBEAMS. 

wonderment.  "I'm  sure  if  I  could  help  you  in  any 
way  I'd  be  glad  to  do  it,  but  I'm  mortal  feered  you've 
come  to  the  wrong  house/' 

"  We  thought,  perhaps,  you  might  let  us  help  you 
make  the  twins'  clothes,"  said  Rose. 

"  Law  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Engle.     "  Well,  I  never  !  " 

"We  can  sew  very  nicely,"  said  Effie  pleadingly, 
"  and  Rose  and  Annie  can  cut  out  beautifully,  and  Mrs. 
Thompson  has  given  Rose  ever  so  many  patterns." 

"  Even  mamma  allows  that  I  can  run  the  machine," 
said  Carrie. 

"I  am  very  good  at  making  ruffles  for  the  neck  and 
sleeves  and  trimming  in  general,"  said  Lula. 

"  I  can  make  very  pretty  sleeves,"  said  Effie. 

*'  I  always  catch  the  threads  for  mamma  when  she 
sews  on  the  machine,"  said  Madge  ;  "  and  I'll  be  sure  to 
catch  them  so  that  they'll  never  come  out." 

"  I  would  rather  make  children's  clothes  than  do 
almost  anything  in  the  world,"  cried  Annie. 

"  You  will  let  us  help  you,  won't  you,  Mrs.  Engle  ?  " 
pleaded  Rose. 

The  woman  laughed  in  a  pleased  way,  cried  "  Law !  " 
again,  and  then  added  dubiousl}^ ;  "  ^Nlebbe  you  young 
ladies  didn't  know  that  I  was  just  going  to  make  up 
some  print  and  gingham  dresses  for  the  twins.  There 
ain't  much  fine  sewing  on  that  kind  of  work ;  I  gener- 
ally put  them  through  in  a  hurry.  The  twins  was  both- 
erin'  me  about  the  sleeves,  and  I  did  get  enough  goods 
to  make  them  a  size  larger  than's  necessary.  I  wasn't 
thinkin'  of  sewin'  any  to-day,  but  if  I'm  to  have  help  "  — 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  27 

"Yes,  indeed,  Mrs.  Engle,"  cried  the  Sunbeam  Club. 
"Then  we'd  better  be  at  it,"  said  the  woman  jleas- 
antly. 

"  Oh  Mrs.  Engle,  we're  ever  so  grateful !  "  murmured 

Effie. 

'^  Everything  in  this  house  is  upside  down,"  said  Mrs. 
Engle  ;  ''  but  the  front  room  upstairs  is  the  best  place  for 
sewin',  the  light  comes  in  pretty  good,  and  I  always 
keep  the  machine  there.  We'll  have  a  time  keeping 
the  children  out.  I  reckon  they'll  think  somethin's  goin' 
on  for  sure." 

"  How  many  children  are  there  ?  "  asked  Annie. 

"  Seven,"  answered  Mrs.  Engle  ;  ''  but  the  two  oldest 
help  their  father  in  the  shop.  There's  five  cuttin'  round 
here  at  home,  and  the  twins  is  the  biggest  of  the  lot. 
The  twins  will  be  six  years  old  next  week,  and  they're 
wantin'  to  start  into  school  in  the  fall !  " 

Mrs.  Engle  kept  on  talking  as  she  ushered  the  Sun- 
beams into  the  front  room,  kept  on  talking  as  she  pulled 
the  red  cover  off  the  machine  and  dusted  the  woodwork 
with  her  apron,  and  then  she  looked  around  at  the  Sun- 
beams and  laughed.  "Well,"  she  cried,  "you  must 
want  to  work  mighty  bad  durin'  the  vacation !  " 

"  We  do  I  "  answered  the  Sunbeams. 

"Now  I'll  fetch  the  goods,"  said  Mrs.  Engle.  "As 
I  told  you,  it's  nothin'  but  gingham  and  print.  You 
needn't  praise  it  before  my  face,  and  talk  about  it  behind 
my  back." 

"  Bring  the  twins,  please,"  said  Rose.  "  We  will  have 
to  measure  the  twins  before  we  cut  into  the  goods." 


28        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

When  Mrs.  Engle  returned  with  the  goods  she  was 
followed  by  the  five  children,  round-faced,  healthy-look- 
ing little  children.  One  of  the  twins  was  carrying  the 
baby,  and  the  other  was  holding  three-year-old  Bobby  by 
his  fat  little  hand,  while  Tommy  Engle  followed  the 
crowd. 

"Didn't  I  tell  you  they'd  be  around?"  said  Mrs. 
Engle,  putting  a  pile  of  goods  upon  the  bed  in  the 
room.     "  Now  all  of  you  clear  out  but  the  twins." 

*' O  Mrs.  Engle  I  "  cried  Carrie  commiseratingly ; 
"they're  too  little  to  clear  out." 

*'  Then  set  the  baby  back  on  the  bed,"  said  Mrs.  Engle ; 
"  and  you,  Tommy,  if  you  want  to  sta}^  in  the  room  and 
watch  what  the  ladies  is  about,  take  Bobby  and  get 
under  the  bed  with  you." 

The  Sunbeams  laughed  merrily  as  Tommy  and  Bobby 
disappeared  as  if  by  magic  under  the  bed  in  the  corner 
of  the  room. 

The  twins  looked  bashfully  at  the  Sunbeams.  They 
were  pretty  little  creatures,  with  great  brown  eyes  and 
short  wav}'  brown  hair.  The  Sunbeams,  looking  at  the 
twins,  could  not  tell  one  from  tlie  other ;  but  Mrs.  Engle 
said  that  Mary's  eyes  were  darker  tlian  Betty's,  and  that 
Betty's  cheeks  were  redder  than  Clary's.  "  And  Betty's 
quicker  on  her  feet  and  more  willing  than  Mar}-,"  said 
Mrs.  Engle.  "I'd  ahvays  ratlier  send  Betty  to  the  store, 
and  she's  more  use  around  the  house  too.  John  thinks 
that  mebbe  Mary  will  be  apter  with  her  books  than 
Betty,  but  that's  to  be  seen.  I  thought  at  first  that  I 
wouldn't  never  be  able  to  tell  'em  apart  except  by  their 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  29 

names  ;  that's  why  I  didn't  give  'em  twin  names,  though 
John  wanted  it ;  bnt  hxws  !  I  don't  think  of  gettin'  'em 
mixed  nowadays.  They're  both  the  same  size;  I  reckon 
you  won't  have  to  take  the  measure  of  the  two.  Mary, 
you  stand  for  your  measure,  and  Betty  run  along  and  fix 
yourself  up  nice,  so's  to  be  ready  for  the  tryin'  on." 

Mary's  cheeks  grew  as  red  as  Betty's  as  she  stood 
in  front  of  Rose  and  had  her  measure  taken. 

"  You  will  like  to  have  some  pretty  new  dresses, 
won't  you,  Mary?  "  asked  Carrie. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mary. 

"And  you  will  like  me  to  make  the  sleeves,  won't 
you  ?  "  inquired  Effie. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mary. 

"  She's  every  bit  as  nice  as  the  other  one,"  said 
Madee.  "  I  believe  I  like  her  better.  Just  watch  her 
dimples." 

Little  twin  Mary's  dimples  went  in  and  out  as  Rose 
continued  taking  her  measure. 

Mrs.  Engle,  who  had  gone  from  the  room  to  help 
Betty  fix  herself  for  the  important  trying-on,  came 
back  and  sank  into  a  chair. 

"I  b'lieve  I'll  just  set  and  look  on  and  learn  some'n," 
she  said.  "  Every  married  woman  ought  to  know  how 
to  sew  real  good.  It  do  make  a  heap  of  difference  in 
the  children's  clothes.  I  was  brought  up  in  the  country, 
and  could  hoe  the  garden  and  milk  and  such  things  as 
well  as  a  boy,  but  I  never  was  learned  how  to  sew  real 
good.  Mary  and  Betty,  you  look  at  the  ladies  too,  and 
mebbe  you'll  pick  up  some'n  before  you  go  to  school." 


30  SUNBEAMS  AXD  MOONBEAMS. 

Suddenly  a  voice  sang  out  from  under  the  bed, 
"  They  ain't  ladies,  they're  girls."  It  was  the  voice  of 
Tommy  Engle. 

''Well,  Tommy,  I'm  shamed  of  you,"  cried  his 
mother.  "  It's  good  you's  way  back  under  the  bed 
where  I  can't  get  at  you." 

Then  some  one  else  under  the  bed  laughed. 

"  Them  two  is  a  hard  team  to  manage,"  said  Mrs. 
Engle.     ''  Boys  is  harder  to  raise  than  girls,  anyhow." 

"  Ladies  wear  dresses  below  their  feets,"  sang  out 
Tommy ;  and  the  Sunbeams  fell  to  laughing  as  they 
worked.  Several  times  during  the  day  they  were  glad 
that  Tommy  Engle  was  under  the  bed. 

"He's  a  funny  little  fellow  and  very  good  too,  al- 
though his  mother  seems  to  think  he  isn't,"  said  Carrie, 
as  she  sat  at  the  machine  waiting  for  work.  "  I  wish 
she'd  buy  some  gingham,  and  let  us  make  him  some 
waists  with  deep  sailor  collars  like  little  boys  wear 
nowadays." 

"  Bobby  ought  to  have  something  too,"  said  Madge. 

"  And  the  baby,"  added  Effie.  ''  Did  you  ever  see 
sucli  a  good  baby,  girls  ?  It's  been  sitting  there  on  the 
bed,  staring  at  us,  ever  since  we  commenced." 

"And  it's  real  pretty,"  said  Annie. 

"  Mrs.  Engle  keeps  tlie  children  nice  and  clean  if  she 
is  poor  and  if  their  clothes  are  sights,"  said  Rose,  in  a 
low  voice.  "  And  just  think  of  all  the  work  she  has  to 
do.  Every  time  she  runs  downstairs,  I  suppose  she 
does  something  towards  getting  the  dinner." 

"Girls,  it's  twelve  o'clock,"  said  Annie. 


TUE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  31 

"Then  we  must  go  home  for  lunch,"  said  Rose. 

Mrs.  Engle  tried  to  persuade  them  to  remain  and 
share  her  humble  meal,  declaring  that  she  would  make 
the  children  wait;  but  the  Sunbeams  assured  her  that 
they  were  expected  at  home,  and  promised  to  be  back 
as  soon  as  possible. 

*'  We  will  work  like  Turks  this  afternoon,  Mrs. 
Engle,"  declared  Carrie. 

*'  I  think  you've  been  workin'  like  Turks  this  morn- 
in',"  said  Mrs.  Engle. 

''  They  ain't  nothin'  but  girls,  far's  I  can  see,"  said 
Tommy  Engle,  in  a  very  low  voice,  being  mindful  of 
the  fact  that  he  had  crawled  out  from  under  the  bed. 

The  Sunbeams  returned  after  lunch,  and  worked  with 
renewed  energy;  and  it  is  really  astonishing  what  a 
quantity  of  work  half  a  dozen  girls  in  earnest  can  ac- 
complish. They  made  four  little  dresses  for  the  twins 
and  a  white  apron  for  each.  Their  mother  might  know 
Betty  and  Mary  apart  in  their  pink  dresses ;  but  the  ad- 
miring Sunbeams  could  not  tell  one  from  the  other,  and 
they  were  very  certain  that  the  twins  would  get  mixed 
at  school. 

"  Aren't  they  as  pretty  as  a  picture  ?  "  cried  Carrie. 
Her  work  was  over,  and  she  had  insisted  that  the  twins 
should  each  put  on  her  little  pink  print  frock. 

"  Laws  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Engle  ;  "  who'd  have  thought  it 
would  have  made  up  as  good  as  that.  Laws  I  "  she  cried 
again,  "I  declare  if  Mary's  cheeks  ain't  as  red  as  Betty's. 
I  shouldn't  wonder  if  she'd  be  smarter  on  her  feet,  too, 
when  she's  got  on  such  a  handsome  costume." 


32        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 

"I  will,  mother,"  said  little  Mary. 

"I  will  keep  my  di^ess  clean  for  a  whole  week,"  said 
Betty,  caressing  one  of  the  sleeves  that  Effie  had  made. 

"Father  won't  know  you  apart,"  cried  Mrs.  Engle, 
"if  Mary  keeps  on  lookin'  as  pleased  as  that." 

Suddenly  under  the  bed  some  one  began  bawling.  It 
was  Tommy. 

"Poor  little  fellow,  he's  hurt  himself,"  cried  Effie 
anxiously. 

"Don't  you  believe  it,"  said  Tommy's  mother  easily. 
"I  know  that  cry.     The  boy  is  jealous  of  his  sisters." 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams. 

"Poor  little  Tommy,"  said  Effie,  stooping  down  and 
looking  under  the  bed. 

"  I'm  comin',"  threatened  Mrs.  Engle.  "  Hursh  your 
noise,  Thomas  ;  you  mind !  " 

But  Thomas  was  past  minding.  In  an  agony  of  bit- 
ter feelingr  he  came  rollino^  out  from  under  the  bed. 
"  The  girls,"  as  he  had  persisted  in  calling  them,  were 
getting  ready  to  go  away;  the  twins  had  stacks  and 
stacks  of  clothes,  so,  at  least,  it  seemed  to  Tommy. 

"What  does  the  poor  little  fellow  want?"  asked 
Rose. 

Tommy  sat  up  in  the  middle  of  the  floor.  "  I  want 
you  to  make  me  some  pants,"  he  gasped ;  and  then  he 
put  his  brown  fists  into  his  brown  eyes  and  wailed 
louder  than  ever.  He  was  not  going  to  school ;  he 
would  have  to  wait  until  he  was  six  years  old  to  go 
to  school.  "  I  want  you  to  make  me  some  pants,"  he 
said  again,  and  kicked  the  floor  and  screamed. 


TSE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  83 

Rose  laid  her  hand  upon  the  little  boy's  dark  head. 

"Maybe  your  mamma  hasn't  any  goods,  Tommy," 
she  said  gently. 

"  She  has,"  bawled  the  boy ;  "  she  makes  'em  out  of 
pa's  old  ones,  and  they're  blue ;  but  I  want  you  to  make 
'em." 

The  Sunbeams  looked  at  Mrs.  Engle,  and  Mrs.  Engle 
laughed. 

"  Laws,  Tommy,"  she  said,  "  quit  that  cryin' ;  these 
young  ladies  ain't  got  time  to  make  you  no  pants ;  I'm 
gunno  do  it  myself ;  I'm  gunno  wash  them  old  pair  o' 
pa's,  and  make  you  a  beautiful  suit !  " 

Tommy  howled  dismally. 

"  We'll  make  it,  Mrs.  Engle,  if  you'll  let  us,"  said 
Rose.  "We'll  come  next  week  and  finish  the  little 
girls'  aprons  too.  We'll  come  every  week  for  half  a 
day  during  vacation  and  teach  you  how  to  sew,  if  you 
wish." 

"  Learn  me  how  to  sew  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Engle,  with 
glistening  eyes.     "  Well,  you  young  ladies  is  kind." 

She  wiped  her  hand  on  her  apron,  and  shook  hands 
with  them  all  round.  It  made  them  glad  to  feel  so 
sure  that  she  would  welcome  them  on  the  following 
Tuesday. 

"  Who  are  they  ?  "  asked  one  of  Mrs.  Engle's  boys 
who  came  in  from  the  shop  as  the  Sunbeams  went  out 
of  his  mother's  little  yard. 

"  They's  girls  that  is  goin'  to  make  my  pants,"  an- 
swered Tommy. 


H  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

[EAR  SUXBEAM :  Come  to  my  house  to-morrow 
morning,  not  to  go  to  work  at  once,  but  to  talk  the 
matter  over  and  make  suitable  arrangements.  I 
think  it  will  do  us  good  to  rest  a  little  after  the 
sewing-circle  at  Mrs.  Engle's.     I  hope  you  will  like 

my  plan,  but  it  is  very  different  from  either  Annie's  or  Rose's. 

Remember,  however,  whether  you  appreciate  it  or  not,  that  it  is 

my  day,  and  the  duty  of  each  and  every  Sunbeam  to  submit  to 

orders.  Very  truly  yours, 

Madge  Hiltox. 

Madge  wrote  five  notes,  and  despatched  them  to  the 
houses  of  the  other  five  members ;  and,  what  with  sew- 
ing at  Mrs.  Engle's  and  writing  her  notes,  she  was  a 
very  weary  mortal  but  a  happy  one  withal.  The  other 
five  members  of  the  Club  read  their  respective  notes, 
and  speculated  a  little  in  regard  to  Madge's  idea ;  and 
each  of  them  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  it  was  a 
delightful  thing,  indeed,  to  be  a  Sunbeam. 

'*  Here  we  are,"  announced  Carrie's  cheerful  voice  the 
next  morning,  as  the  five  girls  divested  themselves  of 
waterproof  cloaks  and  overshoes  in  Mrs.  Hilton's  hall. 
"  It's  a  good  thing  we're  not  the  kind  of  sunbeams  that 
object  to  rain." 

"  Oh  !  isn't  it  funny  ?  "  cried  Madge.  "  You  dear 
Sunbeams,  did  you  get  very  wet  ?  " 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB,  35 

"Very,"  answered  Liila  ;  ''  but  we  don't  mind." 

"Why  didn't  \o\x  Avait  until  the  shower  was  over?" 
asked  Madge. 

"  Because  you  said  '  morning,'  and  we  are  under 
orders,"  answered  Annie. 

"  Oh,  I'm  glad  you  didn't  wait !  "  cried  Madge  exult- 
antly. "  I  told  mamma  you'd  be  here,  and  I  built  a  fire 
in  the  dining-room.  Come,  I  know  you'll  all  appreciate 
the  fire." 

Mrs.  Hilton  laughed  as  she  heard  the  Sunbeams  rush- 
ing tumultuously  in  the  direction  of  the  dining-room. 

"  Now,"  cried  Effie,  "  tell  us  your  plan." 

Little  Miss  Dorcus  fixed  her  placid  eyes  upon  the 
face  of  the  girl  whose  day  it  was.  All  of  the  Sun- 
beams were  arranged  comfortably  around  that  delightful 
fire. 

"  Yes,  tell  us  your  plan,"  said  Cai'rie. 

"  I  brought  you  into  the  dining-room  for  a  twofold 
purpose,"  explained  Madge,  ''  to  get  warm  and  to  pre- 
pare for  the  subject.  Girls,  my  day  has  something  to 
do  with  things  to  eat." 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams. 

"  Madge,"  said  Carrie  imploringly,  "  for  pity's  sake 
don't  ask  me  to  make  a  cake.  Mamma  says  that  I  must 
begin  to  learn  cooking  by  helping  Amanda.  If  I  make 
a  cake  and  it  isn't  fit  to  eat,  I'll  be  expected  to  pay  for 
the  ingredients  out  of  iwy  allowance,  and  the  price  of  the 
baby's  dress  is  already  weighing  down  my  spirits." 

"  To  a  terrible  extent,  as  we  are  all  aware,"  said 
Annie.     "I  can  make  very  good  corn-cakes,  Madge." 


36        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  I  have  broiled  birds,"  said  Lula ;  ''  and  the  boys 
thought  them  real  good." 

"I  can  make  taffy,"  said  Effie. 

"  Well,  I  can  make  cake,"  said  Rose,  "  and  other 
things  too." 

"  Nobody's  to  cook,"  said  Madge.  "  I  never  thought 
of  that." 

"  Oh  I  "  cried  the  Sunbeams  again. 

"  About  sometliing  to  eat,  and  nobody  to  cook  any- 
thing," said  Lula,  in  a  mystified  tone. 

"This  is  my  plan,"  said  Madge,  flushing  a  little  un- 
der the  eager  eyes  of  her  listeners.  "  You  know,  girls, 
you  must  do  it  whether  you  like  to  or  not,  because  it's 
my  day." 

"  Certainly,"  cried  the  Sunbeams. 

"  We  can't  do  it  until  after  dinner,"  said  Madge. 

"  Why  not?  "  demanded  Carrie. 

"  This  thing  is  getting  mysterious,"  said  Rose. 

"What  are  we  to  do  after  dinner?"  asked  Lula. 

"  First,  of  course,"  said  Madge,  "  none  of  us  must  eat 
any  dessert." 

"Oh!"  cried  Carrie  forlornly;  "and  we're  going' to 
have  ice-cream  to-day.  Well,"  she  added  resignedly, 
"  I  can  do  without  it." 

"  We  are  each  of  us  to  take  our  dessert  to  some  sick 
person,"  said  Madge. 

'*  Oh  !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams. 

"  How  will  we  know  where  to  go  ?  "  asked  Lula. 

"  I  have  the  names  written  down,"  said  Madge,  in  a 
business-like  way.     "  I  didn't   pick   out   jdooi"   people  ; 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  37 

I  just  took  sick  people,  people  who  ai-e  not  too  sick  to 
enjoy  dessert.  Here  they  are."  i\ladge  took  up  a 
piece  of  paper  from  the  table,  and  read  quickly,  ''  Miss 
Emily  Woods,*  Mr.  Harbinger,  Aunt  Sally  Nail,  Mrs. 
Windham,  Maggie  Rose,  Elder  Thomas." 

The  Sunbeams,  under  orders,  looked  at  eacli  other, 
and  drew  in  a  long  breath.  None  of  them  had  yet 
practised  visiting  the  sick  to  the  extent  of  carrying 
dessert  along  with  them.     Lula  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  Madofe,"  she  said  in  an  awed  voice,  "•  who  will  be 
the  Sunbeam  to  carry  dessert  to  Mrs.  Windham  ?  " 

"  The  bravest,"  answered  Madge,  laughing. 

"  Better  say  the  one  who  has  the  best  dessert,"  said 
Effie.  Then  Miss  Dorcus  sighed.  '^I  was  just  about 
to  ask  you,  jNIadge,  to  let  me  take  mine  to  Maggie 
Rose,  she's  such  a  dear  little  thing  ;  but  we're  going 
to  have  bread-pudding,  and  nobody  likes  bread-pud- 
ding." 

"  Aunt  Sally  Nail  loves  bread-pudding,  that  I  know," 
said  Annie. 

"  I'll  take  my  ice-cream  to  Maggie  Rose,"  said  Carrie 
generously.  ''  No,  I'd  rather  give  it  to  Elder  Thomas  ; 
he's  such  a  pleasant  old  gentleman,  and  I  know  he 
doesn't  get  ice-cream  often." 

"  We're  pretty  sure  to  have  oranges  for  dessert  to- 
day," said  Annie.  "  Oranges  will  be  nice  for  a  sick 
person.  I'll  take  some  to  Mr.  Harbinger,  and  tell  him 
about  their  coming  from  Uncle  John's  grove  down  in 
Florida.  That  will  make  my  mission  comparatively 
easy." 


38        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  We  always  have  cake,"  said  Lula.  ''  Children  like 
cake.     I  will  take  cake  and  peaches  to  Maggie  Rose." 

"  Miss  Emily  Woods  used  to  sew  at  our  house,"  said 
Rose.  "  Yes,  I'll  carry  my  rice-pudding  to  Miss  Emily 
Woods." 

"  There  is  only  Mrs.  Windham  left,"  said  Carrie. 
"  Well,  Madge,  it  is  your  day,  you  know." 

''  Oh,  dear !  I  put  her  down  for  one  of  you,"  said 
Madge  ;  "  but  I'll  try  to  manage.  I  wonder  what  Mrs. 
Windham  likes  in  the  way  of  dessert  ?  " 

"  Some  mess,  I'm  sure,"  said  Lula.  ''  She's  an  Italian, 
or  something." 

"  She's  Spanish,"  said  Effie ;  "  that  is  why  she  is  so 
proud." 

''  She  was  very  rich  before  her  husband  died,"  said 
Rose. 

"  Perhaps  she  will  talk  Spanish  to  you,"  suggested 
Lula. 

"  If  she  tells  me  to  get  out  in  Spanish,  I  won't  mind 
half  as  much  as  if  she  tells  me  to  do  so  in  plain  Eng- 
lish," said  Madge.  "  Indeed,  girls,  I  don't  believe  she's 
half  as  bad  as  people  make  out,  and  Spanish  people  are 
fond  of  good  things  to  eat." 

"  I  would  advise  you  to  arrange  a  very  polite  and 
proper  speech  before  you  go  into  her  room  carrying  the 
thing,"  said  Carrie. 

"  Effie,  you  could  do  it  grand,"  cried  Madge  ;  "you're 
so  little ;  and  I'm  sure  she  would  think  your  curls  are 
lovely.  I  had  you  in  mind  when  I  put  down  Mrs. 
Windham's  name  ;  indeed,  indeed  I  did." 


TUE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  39 

"  Yes,"  said  Effie  ;  "  I  know  I  could  get  up  a  pretty 
speech  over  the  presentation  of  bread-pudding  to  a  blue- 
blooded  Spanish  lady.  If  Aunt  Sally  Nail  loves  bread- 
pudding  she  had  better  have  the  refusal  of  it." 

"  Effie  is  right,"  said  Annie.  ''  It  would  never  do  to 
take  bread-pudding  to  Mrs.  Windham." 

"  O  Annie  !  "  cried  Madge  ;  "  it  would  be  nice  if  you 
would  take  your  oranges  to  her ;  she  would  be  sure  to 
appreciate  them  when  she  learned  about  their  comino- 
direct  from  Florida.  You  could  tell  her  all  about  your 
uncle  and  his  grove,  Annie." 

"  But  a  person  will  have  to  have  something  to  say  to 
Mr.  Harbinger  too,"  said  Annie;  "and  he  knows  my 
uncle." 

"It  would  be  nice,"  said  Lula,  "if  you  could  carry 
the  dessert  into  the  room,  and  put  it  on  the  table,  and 
say,  '  There  it  is,'  and  then  run,  wouldn't  it  ?  " 

"  Mrs.  Windham  wouldn't  relish  ice-cream,  I'm  sure," 
said  Carrie;  "it  would  be  too  cold  for  her.  Take  lier 
something  steaming  hot,  Madge,  and  talk  about  the 
damp,  ugly  day,  and  how  you  thought  a  Spanish  person 
couldn't  have  too  many  hot  things." 

"  Oh,  I'll  manage  !  "  said  Madge,  resignedly.  "  Mam- 
ma will  help  me." 

"We  won't  meet  any  more  to-day,  then,  will  we?" 
inquired  Effie  sadly. 

"Surely,"  cried  Carrie;  "we'll  meet  after  it's  all 
over;  after  we've  all  been  around,  I  mean.  Won't  we, 
Madge  ?  " 

"In  order  to  give  in  our  experiences,"  said  Annie. 


40  suy BEAMS  Ayn  moonbeams. 

"  Yes,"  said  Madge  ;  "  we  can  meet  here  after  it's 
over." 

*'I'm  afraid  the  sick  people  will  think  we  are  queer 
kind  of  girls,  if  it  keeps  on  raining,"  said  Effie. 

"  Each  one  will  think  there  is  one  queer  girl  in  Lov- 
ettsville,"  said  Carrie.  "  There's  not  much  consolation 
in  that,  though.  Well,  perhaps  it  will  clear  off  before 
dinner." 

"Sunday  was  a  beautiful  day  after  the  rain,"  said 
Rose  hopefully. 

But  it  did  not  clear  off.  Six  mothers  smiled  as  the 
Sunbeams,  carrying  their  desserts,  went  off  under  big 
umbrellas.  Luckily  for  the  dessert  the  rain  was  com- 
ing down  quietly,  and  there  was  no  wind.  An  um- 
brella was  a  reliable  shelter  during  such  a  rain. 

"  I  am  glad  that  Aunt  Sally  Nail  likes  bread-pudding," 
thought  Effie,  as  she  walked  rapidly  down  the  street,  and 
turned  into  an  alleywa3\  ''If  it  gets  cold  she  won't 
mind,  I'm  sure  ;  for  colored  people  are  fond  of  cold  food. 
I  am  very  thankful  that  Madge  put  Aunt  Sally's  name 
on  the  list,  for  there  are  not  many  places  wliere  I  could 
take  bread-pudding  to  a  sick  person." 

"  This  is  what  I  will  say  to  Mr.  Harbinger,"  con- 
cluded Annie,  as  she  carried  her  oranges  along  Broad- 
way. "I  have  brought  you  a  few  oranges  that  my 
uncle,  Mr.  Winthrop,  sent  us  from  Florida.  You  re- 
member Uncle  John  ?  I  am  sure  you  will  find  the 
oranges  fresher  and  finer  than  the  ones  we  buy  here  in 
Lovettsville." 

"  It's  a  good  thing  I  had  the  sense  to  pack  ice  around 


TUE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  41 

this  ice-cream,"  thought  Carrie ;  "  for  if  I  hadn't  it 
would  be  melted  by  the  time  I  reach  the  house.  Of 
course  Elder  Thomas  will  be  pleased  to  get  some  ice- 
cream. I  know  I'd  be  very  much  pleased  if  I  were  sick, 
and  hadn't  had  any  for  a  long  time,  and  a  girl  would 
come  in  bringing  me  a  goblet  piled  up  with  it.  People 
ought  to  be  kinder  to  each  other  than  they  are,  any- 
way." 

Lula  Briggs  turned  a  corner  so  suddenly  that  she 
stepped  into  a  mud-puddle,  and  almost  came  to  grief 
with  the  cake  and  peaches  she  was  carrying  to  little 
sick  Maggie.  She,  too,  had  no  fears  but  that  her  des- 
sert would  be  welcome ;  she,  too,  was  wondering  why 
people  were  not  more  thoughtful  in  regard  to  each 
other's  comfort;  why  it  had  never  before  occurred  to 
her  to  carry  cake  and  peaches  to  a  little  sick  child. 
Well,  everything  has  to  have  a  beginning;  she  could 
do  it  again  and  again.  "  We  will  be  quite  stirred  into 
action,"  said  Lula  to  herself,  "  if  we  belong  to  the  Sun- 
beam Club  during  the  whole  of  the  vacation." 

Miss  Emily  Woods  was  not  in  the  habit  of  receiving 
delicacies  from  the  neighbors,  although  she  had  been  sick 
for  a  long  time.  Her  face  would  flush,  and  she  would 
say,  "  Thank  you,  my  dear ; "  and  she  would  be  very, 
very  much  surprised,  as  surprised  as  was  Mrs.  Engle 
when  the  Sunbeams  offered  to  help  her  make  the  twins' 
dresses.  Rose  felt  perfectly  certain  of  this  as  slie 
sounded  the  knocker  on  the  pine  door,  and  stood  there 
holding  the  cold  rice,  while  Mrs.  Wood's  slow  footsteps 
sounded  alongr  the  hall.    Then  Rose  thought,  "  I'm  glad 


42        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

I  brought  enough  rice  for  two,  and  Fm  glad  the  cream 
is  rich ;  "  and  then  she  said  ''  Good-afternoon  "  to  Mrs. 
Woods,  and  stepped  into  the  front  room,  trying  to  shut 
her  dripping  umbrella. 

Five  of  the  Sunbeams  came  out  of  five  houses  almost 
simultaneously,  raised  their  umbrellas,  and  walked  in 
the  direction  of  Mrs.  Hilton's.  Their  expressions  were 
sweet  and  tender,  and  they  were  all  in  a  hurry.  But 
five  Sunbeams  sat  in  Mrs.  Hilton's  dining-room  around 
the  fire  that  had  been  remade  for  their  benefit,  anxiously 
awaiting  the  appearance  of  Madge. 

Very  slowly  the  minute-hand  of  the  clock  on  the 
mantle  moved  between  the  five  minutes,  yet  at  the  end 
of  twenty  minutes  Madge  had  not  come. 

"Perhaps  something  has  happened  to  her,"  said 
Effie.  "  People  say  that  Mrs.  Windham  has  a  terrible 
temper." 

"  I  have  heard  of  Spanish  people  throwing  the  dishes 
about  the  table  when  they  get  excited,"  said  Lula. 

"If  she  threw  the  dessert  at  Madge,  Madge  won't 
come  home  until  we  leave,"  said  Rose. 

"  Girls,  perhaps  we  had  better  go,"  said  Carrie,  start- 
ing up. 

"  Let's  wait  five  minutes  longer,"  said  Effie. 

"  It  was  unkind  of  me  not  to  take  her  the  oranges," 
said  Annie.  "  Mr.  Harbinger  didn't  half  listen  when  I 
told  him  that  they  came  from  Florida,  and  that  Uncle 
John  had  sent  them.  He  would  have  been  glad  to  get 
anything  from  anybody.  He  explained  to  me  about 
people  being  different  in  old  times,  and  in  the  place 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  43 

where  he  lived  especially.  He  says  that  a  sick  person 
longs  for  so  many  things,  and  that  other  people's  food 
tastes  so  good  to  them.  I  should  have  taken  the  oranges 
to  the  Spanish  lady,  and  let  Madge  take  her  dessert  to 
Mr.  Harbinger." 

"  Madge  is  very  sensitive,"  said  Carrie.  "  I  declare 
I'm  sorry  I  didn't  carry  the  ice-cream  to  Mrs.  Windham. 
I  wouldn't  mind  her  getting  angry  near  as  much  as 
Madge." 

*'I  could  not  havQ  taken  her  the  bread-pudding," 
said  Effie  dolefully.  "Girls,  we've  been  here  half  an 
hour." 

*'  It  was  unkind  of  us  to  insist  upon  her  going  to 
Mrs.  Windham's  on  her  own  day,"  said  Lula,  whose 
day  was  so  very  near. 

"  Indeed,  indeed,  girls,"  said  Rose,  "  we'd  better 
go." 

Then  the  hall-door  opened,  and  some  one  came  run- 
ning along  the  hall ;  and  the  next  instant  the  belated 
Sunbeam  was  in  the  dining-room,  her  face  was  flushed, 
and  her  eyes  were  very  bright. 

"  O  girls ! "  she  cried ;  ''  I'm  so  glad  I  went.  Mrs. 
Windham  was  lovely." 

"  Lovely  !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams,  as  if  they  could  not 
believe  their  senses. 

"  Yes,  lovely,"  repeated  Madge  breathlessly.  "  She 
was  just  delighted  to  see  me.  She  said  she  didn't  won- 
der people  didn't  call  on  her  often,  she  was  such  a  cross 
old  woman.  She  says  that  she's  been  sick  for  nearly 
ten  years,  and  that  it  is  such  a  pleasure  to  her  to  talk 


44         SUNBEAMS  AXD   MOONBEAMS. 

to  a  person  who  has  come  to  see  her  in  a  kindly  spirit ; 
and  she  says  she's  very  fond  of  young  people,  and  that  if 
young  people,  whenever  they  hear  people  talking  and 
talking  and  talking  about  a  cross  old  woman,  if  they 
would  make  up  their  minds  to  visit  the  cross  old  woman, 
and  bear  with  her  a  little  if  she  were  in  a  cross  mood, 
they  might  give  ever  so  much  pleasure,  and  there  might 
grow  to  be  fewer  cross  old  women  in  the  world.  She 
ate  the  dessert,  and  said  it  was  ever  so  nice,  and  she, 
and  she  "  — 

"  What  did  she  do?  "  demanded  the  Sunbeams. 

*'  She  kissed  me,"  said  Madge,  blushing. 

"  Oh  I  "  cried  the  Sunbeams. 

"What  kind  of  dessert  did  you  take  her?"  asked 
Carrie,  wonderingly. 

"  Bread-pudding,"  said  Madge,  with  a  laugh. 

"Well!"  cried  Effie. 

"  We've  all  learned  something  this  day,"  said  Annie. 

"And  I  have  thought  of  something  for  to-morrow," 
said  Lula.  "I  was  afraid  I  would  have  to  remain 
awake  all  night,  puzzling  my  brain.  I  won't  tell  you 
what  it  is,  girls,  but  I'll  tell  you  what  to  wear,  and  what 
to  bring." 

"  What?"  demanded  the  Sunbeams. 

"Wear  3'our  best  dresses,  if  it's  a  fair  day,"  said 
Lula;  "and  bring  knitting-needles  and  cotton,  number 
fifty,  for  knitting  lace,  you  know." 

"Where  are  we  o-oincr?"  cried  Carrie. 

"  For  further  information  wait  until  my  day,"  re- 
turned Lula. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  45 

"We  must  go  home,"  said  Rose. 

Thereupon  they  went,  calling  good-by  to  each  other 
in  the  rainy  street. 

"  I  hope  to-morrow  will  be  a  fair  day,"  said  Lula,  as 
she  entered  the  hall  of  her  home. 


46        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 


CHAPTER  V. 

jIX  Sunbeams,  six  spools  of  cotton,  twelve 
knitting-needles  I "  exclaimed  Carrie.  ''Now, 
Miss  Briggs,  what  may  be  the  programme 
for  your  day?  " 

"  Two  knitting-needles,  a  spool  of  cotton,  and  a  Sun- 
beam w^ho  can  only  knit  horse-reins;  that's  me,"  said 
Effie  Dorcus. 

"  Two  knitting-needles,  a  spool  of  cotton,  and  a  Sun- 
beam who  learned  to  purl  last  night;  that's  me,"  said 
Madge  triumphantly. 

*'  Two  knitting-needles,  a  spool  of  cotton,  and  a  Sun- 
beam who  knows  two  patterns,  neither  of  them  over- 
whelmingly beautiful ;  that's  me,"  said  Rose. 

"  Two  knitting-needles,  a  spool  of  cotton,  and  a  Sun- 
beam who  drops  her  stitches;  that's  me,"  said  Annie 
humbly. 

"  Two  knitting-needles,  a  spool  of  cotton,  and  a  Sun- 
beam with  an  inch  of  lace  that  her  mamma  made  ;  that's 
me,"  said  Carrie.     "Now,  Lula,  tell  us  your  plan." 

"  My  plan,"  said  Lula,  "  is  that  we  all  go  over  to 
Mrs.  Sarah  Rudolph's  and"  — 

"Mrs.  Sarah  Rudolph's!"  interrupted  Effie.  "O 
Lula  Briggs  I  " 

"  She  is  the  richest  woman  in  Lovettsville,"  gasped 
Carrie. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB,  47 

"And  the  most  haughty  and  the  most  overbearing," 
said  Rose.  "Lula  Briggs,  what  ever  made  you  think 
of  going  there  ?  " 

"They  say  she  is  so  proud,"  said  Annie,  "that  she 
reads  her  prayer-book  when  the  minister  at  her  church 
is  preaching." 

"  Oh!  "  cried  a  chorus  of  Sunbeams. 

"I  don't  call  that  pride,"  said  Lula.  "I  call  it  im- 
politeness." 

"  I'm  afraid  you  are  going  to  put  an  end  to  the  club, 
Lula,"  said  Rose.  ''EfBe  and  Carrie  will  have  nothing 
to  do  but  write  its  epitaph." 

"The  Annihilation  of  Six  Sunbeams  by  Mrs.  Sarah 
Rudolph,"  said  Carrie  dolorously.  "  How  did  you  ever 
come  to  think  of  Mrs.  Rudolph,  Lula?  " 

"  I  thought  of  her,"  answered  Lula,  "  when  Madge 
told  us  last  evening  what  Mrs.  Windham  said  to  her, 
about  young  people,  when  they  heard  people  talking 
about  an  old  woman  being  cross  and  disagreeable,  going 
right  off  to  visit  her." 

"  And  bearing  with  her  if  she  is  in  one  of  her  cross 
moods,"  said  Effie,  in  a  whisper. 

"  Yes,"  said  Lula  bravely,  "  that  is  what  we  must  do. 
Mrs.  Windham  said  that  if  young  people  would  do  this 
there  would  be  fewer  cross  old  women  in  the  world." 

'•  And  Mrs.  Windham  ought  to  know,"  said  Rose. 

"But  Mrs.  Rudolph  is  so  very  rich,"  said  Madge, 
sighing. 

"Sunbeams  are  intended  for  rich  people  as  well  as 
poor,"  said  Lula. 


48  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  Girls,  I  know  for  a  fact,"  said  Rose,  "  that  Mrs. 
Rudolph  doesn't  care  at  all  to  meet  the  people  of  Lov- 
ettsville.  She  says  she  lives  here  because  she  can  be 
perfectly  quiet,  and  she  imagines  she  has  all  kinds  of 
diseases.  She  calls  us  '  town  people  ; '  and  she  hardly 
bows  to  persons  that  she  knows,  when  she  meets  them 
on  the  streets." 

"  She  discharges  her  maid  every  six  months,"  said 
Madge  discouragingly. 

"But  she  takes  her  back  again,"  said  Effie  hope- 
fully. 

"Sunbeams  are  different  from  maids,"  said  Carrie. 
"We're  not  up  for  hire.  If  Mrs.  Rudolph  is  foolish 
enough  to  let  us  go,  she  will  never  get  us  back." 

"  No,  indeed,  she  will  not,"  said  Rose  emphatically. 

"She  had  better  be  wise  and  keep  us,"  said  Effie. 

The  Sunbeams  looked  around  at  one  another  and 
laughed. 

"How  are  you  going  to  manage  to  get  us  into  the 
house,  Lula?"  asked  Madge;  ''and  which  one  of  the 
Sunbeams  will  have  to  take  out  her  knitting  first  ?  " 

"  I  never  will,"  said  Carrie.  "  I  would  be  sure  to 
laugh.  Girls,  we  won't  be  able  to  talk  if  we're  knit- 
ting.    I'm  afraid,  Lula,  we  will  bore  Mrs.  Rudolph." 

"  If  she  reads  during  her  minister's  sermons,  what  will 
she  do  while  we  are  knitting,  I  wonder?"  cried  Effie. 

"  Read  to  us,"  said  Madge. 

"  Mrs.  Rudolph  knits  beautiful  edging,"  said  Lula. 
"  I  know  it  for  a  fact." 

"  Oh  !  then  she's  to  knit,  too,  is  she  ?  "  asked  Carrie. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  49 

"Yes,"  returned  Lula,  laughing;  "she's  to  knit  too. 
Now,  girls,  I  am  not  going  to  tell  you  any  more.  I've 
concluded  that  we  are  wasting  too  much  of  my  day  in 
idle  talking.  Come  along,  and  be  sure  you  don't  lose 
your  needles  or  cotton." 

Mrs.  Sarah  Rudolph  lived  in  a  sombre  old  house,  sit- 
uated back  from  the  street.  There  were  roses  in  the 
yard  in  front  of  it;  the  oak  door  boasted  quite  a  re- 
spectable-looking old-time  knocker,  and  a  pair  of  lions 
ornamented  the  steps. 

The  Sunbeams  entered  the  yard,  the  last  one  being 
very  careful  to  latch  the  gate,  and  proceeded  decorously 
up  to  the  door. 

"You  will  have  to  knock,  Lula,  because  it's  your 
day,"  said  Madge. 

"Of  course,"  said  Lula,  raising  the  knocker. 

"  Don't  knock  too  loud  or  she  might  get  mad,"  said 
Effie  fearfully. 

"  I  am  glad  you  let  us  dress  decently,"  said  Carrie. 
"  Oh,  dear,  I  feel  terribly  nervous  !  " 

Indeed,  all  of  the  Sunbeams  were  rather  pale  when 
the  door  opened  noiselessly,  and  a  maid  in  a  cap  stood 
before  them,  looking  at  them  in  a  surprised  way. 

"  Is  Mrs.  Rudolph  at  home  ?  "  asked  Lula  briskly. 

"  Yes,  miss,"  said  the  maid.  "  Did  you  all  want  to 
see  her?" 

"  Not  me  ;  never  in  the  world,"  whispered  Carrie,  in 
the  rear. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Lula.  "  Please  tell  her  that  we 
would  like  to  see  her  very  much." 


50        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  Yes,  miss,"  said  the  maid.  "  Will  you  all  walk 
in  ?  "  Then  she  regarded  them  again  very  closely,  and 
added  hesitatingl}^,  ''You  all  didn't  come  to  beg  for  a 
fair  or  nothin'  ?  " 

"  No,  no  indeed !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams  in  a  breath. 

The  woman  smiled.  "  'Cause  if  you  did,"  she  ex- 
plained, "I  was  gunno  tell  you  it  wan't  a  bit  of  use. 
Mis  Rudolph  has  done  set  her  foot  down  on  fairs  and 
such  things.     Who'll  I  tell  her  you  all  is  ?  " 

Lula  thought  a  minute,  and  then  said,  ''  Dr.  Thomp- 
son's daughter  and  her  friends." 

"  O  Lula  I  "  cried  Rose  expostulatingly. 

"  Dr.  Thompson's  daughter  and  her  friends ;  yes, 
miss,"  said  the  woman,  and  showed  them  into  the  parlor, 
and  went  on  her  message. 

"  Lula,  how  could  you  ?  "  cried  Rose,  as  the  Sunbeams 
settled  themselves  around  Mrs.  Rudolph's  large  parlor. 

"She  wouldn't  know  Lula  Briggs  from  Adam,"  re- 
turned Lula;  "and  she'll  be  sure  to  come  to  see  you." 

"  I'm  not  going  to  say  a  word,"  declared  Rose. 

"  No,  indeed ;  it  wouldn't  be  fair,"  said  Annie.  "  You 
will  have  to  do  all  the  talking,  Lula,  because  it's  your 
day." 

"  And  because  nobody  else  would  know  how  to  tell 
Mrs.  Rudolph  that  she  must  get  out  her  knitting,"  said 
Effie. 

"  Girls,"  said  Carrie,  "  we'd  better  not  talk  too  mucli 
about  it ;  somebody  will  be  sure  to  laugh." 

"  Laugh  !  "  repeated  Annie  ;  "'cry,  you  mean.  I  ac- 
tually feel  shaky  all  over." 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  51 

"Lula  Briggs,  you  must  be  careful,"  said  Madge. 
"Remember  that  she  reads  during  the  minister's  ser- 
mons." 

"And  discharges  the  maid  every  six  months,"  said 

Annie. 

''  Girls,  please  hush !  "  ordered  Lula.  "  You'll  get  me 
so  excited  that  I  won't  know  what  I'm  talking  about. 
Carrie  Offutt,  what  are  you  saying  to  yourself  over  and 
over?" 

"  I  am  composing  the  epitaph  of  the  Sunbeam  Club," 

said  Carrie  gravely. 

"  Somebody's  coming,"  announced  Madge,  whose  seat 
commanded  a  view  of  the  staircase. 

"I  can  hear  my  heart-beats  distinctly,"  said  Effie. 
"Isn't  it  awful?" 

The  Sunbeams  straightened  themselves  in  their  chairs, 
five  of  them  wondering  how  Lula  Briggs  was  going  to 
explain  their  presence.  They  all  stood  up  when  Mrs. 
Rudolph  entered  the  parlor.  They  had  seen  her  on  the 
street,  and  stepping  in  and  out  of  her  carriage  at  the 
Lovettsville  stores ;  but  they  had  never  before  seen  her 
in  her  home  dress,  and  they  had  had  no  idea  that  she 
was  such  an  old  lady.  Her  hair  was  white  as  snow,  and 
her  face  was  very  sharp  and  thin,  but  her  eyes  were 
bright  and  piercing.  The  Sunbeams  blushed  as  they 
felt  Mrs.  Rudolph  looking  them  over. 

Rose,  who  was  next  to  Lula,  gave  her  a  little  push 
as  if  to  remind  her  that  it  was  her  day ;  but  it  was  the 
old  lady  who  spoke  first. 

"Dr.  Thompson's  daughter  and  her  friends?"   she 

inquired. 


52         SUNBEAMS  AND  MOOXBEAMS. 

Rose  Thompson  shut  her  mouth  very  tight,  and  Lula 
brought  the  bright  eyes  upon  her  by  stepping  forward 
impulsiveh\ 

''  Yes,  Mrs.  Rudolph,"  she  said  with  a  gasp ;  "  we  are 
Dr.  Thompson's  daughter  and  her  friends,  and  we  have 
been  trying  to  find  something  to  do  during  the  vacation. 
We  came  over  here  to  see  you  —  to  ask  you"  — 

Lula  paused  out  of  breath.  The  listening  Sunbeams 
were  quaking  in  their  shoes. 

"Yes?"  interrogated  Mrs.  Rudolph. 

"  We  came  to  ask  you  if  you  would  show  us  some 
pretty  pattern  in  knit-edging,"  blurted  out  Lula.  "  You 
don't  know  how  much  obliged  we  will  be.  People  are 
using  knit-edging  so  much  nowadays.  We  all  know 
how  to  knit  a  little,  even  Efhe,  and  we  heard  that  you 
could  knit  beautifully." 

The  old  lady  smiled,  while  a  look  of  amusement  and 
interest  crept  into  her  bright  eyes. 

"  So  you  are  Dr.  Thompson's  daughter,"  she  said  ; 
"  and  you  and  your  friends  wish  me  to  teach  you  the 
art  of  making  beautiful  lace  ?  " 

"Oh,  no!  I'm  not  Dr.  Thompson's  daughter,"  cried 
Lula.     "I'm  one  of  her  friends." 

"  We  will  be  ever  so  much  oblisred  to  vou,  Mrs. 
Rudolph,"  cried  the  other  Sunbeams  quickly, 

"But  which  of  you  is  Dr.  Thompson's  daughter?" 
asked  the  lady,  in  a  bewildered  way. 

"  I  am,"  said  Rose  meekh\ 

"  Oh !  I  understand,"  said  Mrs.  Rudolph,  smiling  ; 
"  the  other  young  lady  was  spokesman.     May  I  ask  th^ 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  53 

name  of  the  spokesman  and  the  rest  of  Miss  Thomp- 
son's friends  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I'm  onl}^  Lula  Briggs ! "  said  Lula ;  and  then 
she  regained  her  self-possession,  and  introduced  the  re- 
maining four  Sunbeams. 

'*  I  fancy  you  are  very  bright  young  Ladies,"  said 
Mrs.  Rudolph,  smiling  again.  She  was  a  pretty  old 
lady  when  she  smiled.  "  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  show 
you  some  patterns  in  knit-edging,  but  I  think  it  had 
better  be  something  simple  at  first." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  cried  the  Sunbeams  eagerly. 

"  Something  very  simple,"  said  Carrie. 

"Have  you  brought  needles?"  asked  the  lady.  "If 
you  haven't,  I'll  try  to  supply  you." 

"Oh,  yes!  we've  brought  needles,"  cried  the  Sun- 
beams. 

A  sudden  flush  had  stolen  into  the  old  lady's  cheeks. 
Never  before  had  she  been  called  upon  by  the  young 
ladies  of  the  town  to  teach  them  to  knit  edging.  Now 
and  then  she  had  been  asked  to  assist  towards  getting 
up  a  church  fair,  or  something  of  that  kind ;  and  lately 
she  had  said  that  she  would  have  nothing  more  to  do 
with  Lovettsville  fairs.  But  there  was  something  pleas- 
ant about  being  asked  to  teach  six  bright-faced  girls 
a  pretty  pattern  in  knit-edging,  especially  to  a  person 
who  was  devoted  to  knittincr  edffinof. 

"  We  all  brouocht  cotton  too,"  said  Mad  ore. 

"  What  number?  "  asked  the  old  lady. 

"  Number  fifty,"  said  Lula. 

"  That's  right,"  said  Mrs.  Rudolph.     "  You  ought  to 


54        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

begin  with  a  coarse  pattern.  Kow  I  knit  with  eighty, 
and  a  hundred." 

"  Oh !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams,  in  genuine  admiration. 

"  Yes,"  repeated  Mrs.  Rudolph,  not  at  all  averse  to 
the  admiration  ;  "  I  use  eighty,  ninety,  and  a  hundred. 
Come,  we'll  go  upstairs  to  my  sitting-room  ;  it's  more 
cheerful." 

The  Sunbeams  left  the  dim  parlor  with  alacrity. 
They  felt  jubilantly  glad  as  they  mounted  the  stairs  in 
the  wake  of  their  hostess,  jubilantly  glad  and  thankful 
that  they  had  called  upon  Mrs.  Rudolph  when  she  was 
in  anything  but  a  cross  mood. 

"  She  is  very,  very  nice,"  thought  Effie.  "  It  is  un- 
kind of  people  to  talk  about  other  people  the  way  they 
do." 

"  She  is  very  obliging,"  thought  Annie,  ''  and  very 
pretty  when  she  smiles." 

"  I  don't  believe  that  tale  about  her  reading  her 
prayer-book  when  her  minister  is  preaching,"  thought 
Rose.  "I  suppose  she  hadn't  closed  her  book  at  the 
moment  he  began,  and  some  evil-minded  person  noticed 
it,  and  gave  out  that  she  was  reading.  That  person  had 
better  been  listening  to  the  sermon  than  watching  Mrs. 
Rudolph." 

"If  she  does  discharge  her  maid  every  six  months, 
she  takes  her  back  again,"  thought  Madge.  "The 
maid  oueht  to  remember  that  her  mistress  is  old,  and 
bear  with  her." 

"  If  haughty  people  are  all  like  this,  I  like  them," 
thought  Carrie. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB,  55 

"  She  would  have  lent  us  needles,  and  cotton  too, 
I  daresay,"  thouglit  Lula.  "She  is  very  generous.  I 
am  so  ghid  we  came." 

The  woman,  who  scarcely  spoke  to  the  people  of  her 
acquaintance  whom  slie  met  upon  the  streets  of  Lovetts- 
ville,  sat  in  the  midst  of  the  six  Sunbeams  with  the 
seventh  pair  of  needles  in  her  hands,  while  the  seventh 
spool  of  cotton  fell  continually  to  the  floor,  eager  and 
pleased  over  the  task  of  showing  six  girls  how  to  knit 
a  simple  and  pretty  pattern  of  edging. 

It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  the  Sun- 
beams, flushed  and  radiant,  came  out  from  the  sombre 
house.  Each  of  them  carried  carefully  a  bit  of  new- 
made  lace. 

"  Well,"  cried  Carrie,  when  they  had  walked  about  a 
hundred  yards ;  "  well,  I  call  this  day  a  great  success. 
Allow  me  to  congratulate  you.  Miss  Briggs." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Miss  Briggs. 

"  She's  as  nice  as  Mrs.  Windham,  isn't  she,  Madge  ?  " 
asked  Effie. 

"  They  are  both  of  them  just  as  lovely  as  they  can 
be,"  returned  Madge. 

"Rose,"  cried  Carrie,  "here  comes  your  papa.  Tell 
him  where  we've  been." 

The  doctor  was  very  willing  to  be  delayed  a  few 
moments  by  the  Sunbeams. 

"Well,"  he  cried,  "what's  up?" 

"  Where  do  you  think  we  spent  the  day,  papa  ? " 
asked  Rose. 

"  And  lunched  ?  "  added  Effie. 


56  SUNBEAMS  AND   MOONBEAMS. 

"At  some  pleasant  incUviduars  house,  to  be  sure,*' 
answered  the  doctor. 

''  At  Mrs.  Sarah  Rudolph's,"  said  Annie. 

"She  made  us  stay  to  lunch,  papa,"  said  Rose. 

"  Well,"  cried  the  doctor,  genuinely  astonished,  "well, 
I  declare ! " 

'•  We  are  going  to  see  her  every  Thursdaj^,"  said 
Madge. 

''She  is  teaching  us  to  knit  edging,"  said  Rose. 

"It  was  Lula's  plan,"  said  Annie. 

"Mrs.  Rudolph  is  just  lovely,"  cried  Carrie;  "every 
bit  as  lovely  as  Mrs.  Windham." 

"I  believe  I  am  in  the  midst  of  the  Sunbeams,  am 
I  not  ?  "  asked  the  doctor. 

For  answer  the  Sunbeams  laughed  merrilj-. 

"  Well,  young  ladies,"  said  the  doctor,  "  there  are 
some  cases  in  this  town  w^here  Sunbeams  can  do  better 
work  than  the  town  physician.  I  am  glad  to  see  you 
are  finding  them  out." 

"  To-morrow  will  be  Effie's  day,"  said  Annie. 

"And  Saturday  will  be  Carrie's,"  said  Rose. 


TUE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  57 


CHAPTER   VI. 

TRLS,"  said  Effie,  "we  are  not  to  do  any- 
thing until  this  afternoon.     I  have  called 
you  together  simply  to  listen  to  my  plan, 
and  to  get  ready  to  proceed  to  action." 
"  Bravo,  Effie  !  that  was  a  remarkably  fine  speech  I  " 
cried   Carrie.     "  Sunbeams,   we   must   all  put    on  our 
armor  so  that  we  will  be  ready  to  proceed  to  action." 

"  Oh,  the  coming  glory  of  this  afternoon  !  "  exclaimed 
Madge  rapturously^ 

"  'Hark  !  Honor's  call,  summoning  all  — 
Summoning  all  of  us  unto  the  strife;'  "  — 

quoted  Annie. 

"  Multum  in  parvo ! "  cried  Rose.  "  Girls,  it's  a 
shame  ;  we  mustn't  tease  her.  Effie  has  a  nice  little 
plan,  I'm  sure." 

"Nice  little  plan,  indeed!"  cried  Lula.  "Nothing 
short  of  a  gigantic  plan  will  satisfy  us  after  Effie's 
introductory  speech." 

"  Girls,  I'm  not  a  bit  provoked  at  your  levity,"  said 
Effie  tranquilly.     "I'm  a  Sunbeam,  you  know." 

"  Bravo,  Effie  !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams,  in  chorus. 

"  Now  let  us  hear  your  plan,"  said  Rose. 

"  Girls,"  explained  Effie  tragically,  "  we  will  have 
to  separate," 


68        SUNBEAMS   AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  We  can  do  even  that,"  said  Annie,  also  tragically ; 
"  we  have  done  it  before. 

"  '  I've  travelled  about  a  bit  in  my  life; 
Of  troubles,  I've  seen  a  few; 
But  found  it  better  in  every  clime 
To  paddle  my  own  canoe.'  " 

"  Miss  Winthrop,"  said  Rose  gravely,  "  you  sing  very 
well,  but  we  didn't  congregate  here  this  morning  to 
listen  to  your  singing ;  we  came  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  receiving  orders  from  Miss  Dorcus.  In  what  manner, 
Effie,  are  we  to  proceed  singly  to  action  ?  " 

"  We  are  each  of  us  to  go  and  read  to  somebody," 
said  Effie  impressively. 

"  O  Effie  !  I  read  so  very  badly,"  cried  Carrie  for- 
lornly. 

"Do  you  think  people  will  want  to  hear  us  read?" 
inquired  Madge  dubiously. 

"  What  are  we  to  read  ?  "  demanded  Lula. 

"  Whom  are  we  to  victimize  ?  "  asked  Annie. 

"Girls,"  said  Rose,  "we  really  must  give  Effie  a 
chance  to  explain  her  plan." 

"One  of  the  people  is  old  Mr.  Jones,"  said  Effie. 

"  Old  Mr.  Jones,"  repeated  Annie.  "  Why,  Effie, 
that's  real  good  of  you  to  think  of  him.  Old  Mr. 
Jones  does  like  to  have  people  read  to  him;  I  know 
it  for  a  fact." 

"It  must  be  very  sad  to  be  blind,"  said  jNIadge  ; 
"  especially  when  one  knows  what  it  is  to  see.  I  believe 
Effie's  plan  is  going  to  be  better  than  anybody's." 


THE  SUNBEAM   CLUB.  59 

"Oh,  it  couldn't!"  exclaimed  Effie.  "But  I  had  to 
think  of  something  different  from  what  we  had  had." 

"  Just  think  of  poor  me,"  said  Carrie.  "  Everything 
will  be  thought  of  before  my  turn.  I  wish  I  had  asked 
for  Monday  instead  of  Saturda3^" 

"  You'll  think  of  something,"  said  Rose.  "  Go  ahead, 
Efifie,  and  tell  us  the  other  people  to  whom  we  are  to 
read." 

''  Miss  Mattie  Barnesley,"  said  Effie. 
''  Miss  Mattie  Barne%ley,  the  milliner  ?  "  asked  Madge. 
"The  poor  little  thing  who  works  so  hard,  and  gets  paid 
so  badly  for  her  hats  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said   Effie.     "She  is  very  fond  of   reading, 
and  she  is  so  busy  that  she  doesn't  get  time  to  read,  and 
she  sits  back  there  in  her  shop  all  day  by  herself.     She 
would  be  delighted,  I  am  confident,  if  a  Sunbeam  would 
read  to  her  this  afternoon  while  she  works." 
"I  will  read  to  her,"  said  Annie  quickly. 
"I  will  read  to  Mr.  Jones,"  said  Rose. 
"I  was    just  going   to  speak  for  Mr.   Jones,"  said 
Carrie ;  "  but  I  really  pity  any  person  who  will  have 
to  listen  to  me." 

"•  You  must  try  to  improve,  my  dear  Sunbeam,"  said 
Lula.     "  Who  is  my  victim,  Effie  ?  " 

'^  You  can  read  to  Mrs.  Hubbard's  little  girl  who  has 
the  consumption,"  answered  Effie.  "The  days  seem 
so  long  and  wearisome  to  Molly,  and  her  mother  is  too 
busy  with  the  housekeeping,  and  taking  care  of  the 
smaller  children,  to  spare  any  time  to  read  to  her.  She 
has  a  number  of  magazines  and  illustrated  papers  on 


60        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

tlie  table  beside  her  bed,  but  it  hurts  lier  eyes  to  read. 
She  will  be  very  glad  to  have  a  Sunbeam  read  to 
her." 

"  I  wonder  we  never  thought  of  it  before,"  said  Lula. 
"  Thank  you,  Effie,  for  giving  me  Molly  Hubbard." 

''Molly  would  have  suited  7«e',"  cried  Carrie.  ''She 
wouldn't  have  discovered  what  a  miserable  reader  I  am. 
Effie,  give  me  the  next;  I  don't  want  to  wait  until  last 
again." 

"  You  can  read  to  Mrs.  Robertson,"  said  Effie. 

"  Oh-h  !  "  cried  Carrie. 

"  She  has  been  bedridden  for  years ;  she  will  be 
pleased  to  have  you  read  to  her." 

''  I  hope  so,"  said  Carrie. 

"Girls,"  said  Effie  solemnly,  "there  is  one  person 
on  the  list  to  wliom  I  am  afraid  none  of  the  Sunbeams 
will  want  to  read  ;  yet  after  wliat  Mrs.  Windham  said  to 
Madge,  and  after  Mrs.  Rudolph  showed  us  how  to  knit, 
and  wishes  us  to  go  back  again,  why,  I  think  it  is  the 
duty  of  a  Sunbeam  to  visit  this  person  too." 

"  Effie,"  said  Rose,  "  you  will  have  to  take  that  person 
yourself." 

"Because  it  is  your  dav,"  added  Carrie. 

"  Besides,  I  am  the  only  other  Sunbeam  left,"  said 
Madge. 

"  And  Madge  carried  bread-pudding  to  Mrs.  Wind- 
ham," said  Annie. 

"  Yes,  Effie,  you  will  have  to  read  to  that  person 
yourself,"  said  Carrie.  "  It  is  the  fair  and  square 
thing  to  do." 


TUE  SUNBEAM  CLUB,  61 

"Yes,  I  suppose  it  is,"  said  Effie.  "Well,  Madge, 
I'll  give  you  your  person  next." 

"  Who  ?  "  asked  Madge. 

"  Major  John  V.  Selby." 

"  Oh,  good  gracious  !  "  cried  Madge.  "I  believe  I'd 
just  as  leave  have  the  other  person." 

"No,  you  wouldn't,"  said  Effie. 

"  Why,  the  Major's  real  nice  !  "  declared  Lula. 

"  They  say  he  gets  in  terrible  rages,"  said  Madge. 

"  That  is  because  he  is  suffering  with  cataract,  and 
cannot  see  to  read  the  news,"  asserted  Effie. 

"Well,  I'll  take  him,"  said  Madge  resignedly. 
"Now,  Effie,  who  is  yours?" 

"The  last  person  on  the  list,"  said  Effie,  "is  Mrs. 
Sue  Kemp." 

For  an  instant  the  Sunbeams  were  silent ;  then  they 
burst  out:  — 

"  Mrs.  Kemp !     O  Effie  Dorcus  !  " 

"Did  you  hear  about  the  minister's  visit?"  inquired 
Rose. 

"Yes,"  said  Effie,  "I  heard." 

"What  about  the  minister's  visit?"  asked  Carrie. 
"  I  never  heard." 

"  She  will  never  get  well,"  said  Rose  ;  "  and  she 
doesn't  want  to  die.  She  hasn't  had  a  bit  of  a  nice 
time  ;  but  she  is  not  willing  to  give  up  her  poor  little 
house,  and  her  mean  little  yard,  and  her  cat  and  dog. 
Well,  the  minister  went  to  see  her ;  he  says  he  has 
never  heard  of  a  more  pitiful  case.  You  all  know  how 
kind  Mr.  Souder  is  to  sick  people  ?     He  sat  upon  the 


62        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

Ugly  little  chair  beside  the  bed,  and  talked  to  Mrs.  Kemp 
for  a  long  time,  telling  her  about  the  beautiful  life  to 
come,  and  all  that,  and  how  every  one  who  wishes  it  can 
be  happy  eternall}-,  and  he  was  sure  he  had  made  some 
impression.  When  he  finished  talking,  what  do  you 
think  she  said  ?  " 

"What?  "  cried  Carrie. 

"  Why  she  actually  laughed  at  him,  laughed  at  the 
minister,  —  at  Mr.  Souder, —  and  said:  'I've  heard  all 
that  kind  of  talk  before  ;  I've  got  a  nice  home  here  on 
earth,  and  I'm  not  getting  ready  to  leave  it  yet  awhile.' 
They  say  she  won't  believe  that  she  is  going  to  die  ;  and 
some  days  she  is  so  weak  that  she  can  scarcely  turn  in 
her  bed.  If  any  one  asks  her  how  she  feels,  she  always 
answers  that  she  feels  first-rate  ;  that  she's  getting  well." 

"  Did  Mr.  Souder  ever  go  back?"  asked  Madge. 

"  Once.  There  were  neighbors  with  her,  and  the 
blind  was  pulled  down  just  as  he  stepped  on  the  porch. 
He  knocked,  but  no  one  came  to  the  door." 

"  Effie  Dorcus,  aren't  you  afraid  to  go?"  asked  Lula. 

"  Madge  was  not  afraid  to  go  to  see  Mrs.  Windham, 
and  to  take  her  bread-pudding,"  said  Effie. 

''  Oh,  but  that  was  different !  "  said  Madge.  "After 
all,  she  was  only  Spanish." 

"  And  you  were  not  afraid,  Lula,  to  take  us  all  to 
see  Mrs.  Rudolph." 

"  Oh,  but  Mrs.  Rudolph  was  as  pleasant  as  she  could 
be  !  "  said  Lula. 

"  But  you  didn't  know  you  would  find  her  that  way," 
said  Effie.     "Perhaps  Mrs.  Kemp  will  be  pleasant  too." 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  63 

"  Never !  "  cried  Rose.  ''  Papa  says  she  thinks  every 
new  person  who  visits  her  has  come  with  the  intention 
of  teaching  her  how  to  die.  She  is  always  in  a  bad 
humor  when  she  thinks  of  death.  I'm  afraid  she  won't 
let  you  read  to  her." 

'^  Did  any  one  ever  try  to  read  to  her?  "  asked  Effie. 

"  Mr.  Souder  sent  Miss  Elma  Green  to  read  to  her," 
answered  Rose. 

"  Well  ?  "  asked  Effie,  in  a  scared  voice. 

"  She  wouldn't  let  her  read  to  the  middle  of  a  chapter. 
She  said  she  wasn't  sick  enough  to  die,  but  she  was  too 
sick  to  lie  still  and  listen  to  a  sermon  in  a  book.  She 
said  she  preferred  the  preacher  to  the  talk  in  the  book." 

''  But  Effie  is  so  little,"  said  Annie.  "  I  don't  believe 
she  will  get  angry  with  Effie." 

"  I  have  put  her  name  on  the  list,  and  I  cannot  take 
it  ofe,"  said  Effie. 

"  Well,  you  can  try,  anyway,"  said  Carrie.  "  She 
isn't  a  wicked  old  wolf  personating  a  good  old  grand- 
mother." 

"  No,  she  is  only  a  poor  old  woman  who  doesn't  want 
to  die,"  said  Effie.  "I  would  never  forgive  myself  if  I 
took  her  name  off  the  list." 

"Is  Major  John  V.  Selby  deaf?"  asked  Madge  sud- 
denly. 

"No,"  said  Effie  promptly,  "he  is  not.     Why?" 

"  I  was  going  to  say,  in  case  he  were,  that  Carrie  and 
I  had  better  change.  I  don't  know  why  it  is,  but  deaf 
people  never  understand  me." 

"  Mrs.  Robertson  is  a  little  deaf,"  said  Rose.     "  I'll 


64         SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

tell  you  what  papa  says  about  talking  to  deaf  people, 
Carrie.  He  says  talk  slowly  and  distinctly,  and  don't 
attempt  to  hollo;  that  it  is  very  distressing  to  deaf 
people  holloing  at  them.  Of  course  reading  is  the 
same  as  talking." 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  sighed  Carrie.     "  Well,  I'll  do  my  best." 

"What  time  are  we  to  start  out?"  asked  Madge. 

"  At  two  o'clock,"  said  Effie. 

"  Then  we  won't  see  each  other  until  to-morrow,  will 
we?"  inquired  Annie. 

"  Not  until  to-morrow,"  said  Effie.  "  It  was  too  har- 
rowing the  other  day  waiting  for  Madge." 

''But  we  wouldn't  have  to  wait  for  3'ou,  Effie,"  said 
Lula.  "  If  Mrs.  Kemp  lets  j^ou  read  to  the  end  of  the 
chapter,  it  will  be  a  wonder." 

"  You  will  meet  to-morrow  at  my  house,"  said  Carrie. 
"  If  you're  to  bring  anything  with  you^  I'll  let  you  know 
to-night." 

"  Mr.  Jones,  two  o'clock  this  afternoon,"  said  Rose. 
"  Good-by,  Effie  ;  good  luck  to  you." 

"Miss  Mattie  Barnesley,  same  hour,"  said  Annie. 
"No  matter  what  happens  to  you,  Effie,  you  will  be 
doing  your  duty." 

"  At  two  o'clock  this  afternoon  I  call  on  the  Major," 
said  Madge.  "  Good-by,  Effie ;  keep  a  brave  heart,  my 
dear." 

"If  she's  rude  to  you,  Effie,"  said  Carrie,  "just  get 
spunky,  and  upbraid  her  for  the  manner  in  which  she 
treated  our  minister." 

"They  say  she  throws  pillows  at  her  neighbors  when 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  65 

she  gets  mad,"  said  Lula.  ''  If  she  throws  a  pillow  at 
you,  Effie,  throw  it  back." 

"I  will  do  my  best  to  make  her  my  friend,"  said 
Effie.     "I  am  so  very  sorry  for  her." 

"I  trust  that  by  evening  Effie  will  not  be  sorry  for 
herself,"  said  Rose,  as  she  and  Annie  walked  along 
together.  "It  was  real  nice  to  think  of  her,  though, 
wasn't  it?" 

"It  certainly  was,"  said  Annie. 

Two  o'clock  found  six  Sunbeams  hurrying  along  the 
streets  of  Lovettsville,  seemingly  as  if  they  wished  the 
preliminaries  of  their  visits  to  be  over,  and  to  settle 
down  in  good  earnest  to  the  task  of  reading  to  their 
fellow-mortals.  Effie  Dorcus  walked  very  rapidly. 
There  was  a  bright  spot  on  each  of  her  dimpled  cheeks, 
and  her  lips  were  pressed  tightly  together.  Under  her 
arm  she  carried  a  medium-sized  book.  Little  Miss 
Dorcus  was  thinking  about  "facing  the  lion  in  his  den, 
the  Douglas  in  his  hall,"  and  all  sorts  of  things,  as  she 
entered  the  mean  little  yard  belonging  to  the  poor  little 
house  of  the  woman  avIio  did  not  wish  to  die. 

For  all  her  bravery  and  steady  determination,  Effie 
gave  rather  a  timid  knock  upon  the  door  of  the  little 
house.  There  was  no  sound  of  a  neighbor  moving 
within,  and  no  one  answered  the  knock. 

Suddenly  a  high-pitched  voice  cried,  "  Come  in!  "  and 
Effie  opened  the  door. 

The  room  in  which  Effie  Dorcus  found  herself  was 
kitchen  and  bedroom  combined.  The  bed  of  the  sick 
woman  encroached  upon  the  territory  of  the  cooking- 


66        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

stove,  out  luckily  there  was  no  fire  in  the  stove.  Tlie 
window-blinds  were  all  down,  but  the  licrlit  came  throuofli 
gigantic  holes  in  them,  and  fell  upon  the  woman  in  tlie 
bed,  showing  a  ghastly  face  and  two  great  luminous 
eyes. 

"  HoAv  do  you  feel  to-day,  Mrs.  Kemp  ?  "  asked  Effie. 

"First-rate,"  said  the  woman.  "I'm  getting  well  fast. 
If  only  the  doctor  would  cure  my  cough  I'd  be  out 
of  here  in  a  week.  It's  the  cough  that  keeps  me  on  my 
back,  and  nothing  else." 

Effie  approached  a  little  closer  to  the  bed,  and  the  sick 
woman  regarded  her  curiously.  "Who  are  you?"  she 
asked.     "  What  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  I'm  Effie  Dorcus,  and  I  want  to  read  to  you,"  said 
the  Sunbeam  bravely. 

"  Want  to  read  to  me  ?  "  repeated  j\Irs.  Kemp,  in  an 
ill-natured  voice.  "You  ain't  the  first  person  that's 
wanted  to  read  to  me.  I've  had  a  person  that  loved  to 
read  settin'  there  beside  me  longer  than  I  could  stand ; 
and  I've  had  the  preacher  preachin'  to  me  by  the  yard. 
I  ain't  a  bad  woman  ;  I  ain't  done  nuthin'  wrong  in  my 
life;  and  I  ain't  gettin'  read}^  to  die,  as  the  folks  all 
seem  to  think,  neither.  I  told  the  preacher  to  clear  out, 
and  I  bid  the  woman  that  was  readin'  to  me  to  hursli 
up.  Yes,  that  is  what  I  did;  I  told  the  preacher,  in 
plain  words,  that  I  didn't  want  none  of  him,  and  I  bid 
the  woman  that  was  readin'  to  me  to  hursh  up.  Now, 
little  girl,  what  do  you  want  to  do?" 

"  I  want  to  read  to  you,"  said  Effie,  with  a  quiver  in 
her  voice. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  67 

"What  do  you  want  to  read?"  demanded  the  woman 
fiercely. 

'' '  Grimm's  Fairy  Tales,'  "  said  Effie.  "  They  are  just 
beautiful,  Mrs.  Kemp." 

"Fairy  tales,"  repeated  Mrs.  Kemp.  She  gave  a 
cackling  laugh.  "  Fairy  tales,"  she  said  again.  "  Yes, 
set  right  down  there  by  the  bed,  and  read  me  a  fairy 
tale,  do." 

Efhe  Dorcus  sat  down  by  the  bed  with  alacrity,  opened 
her  book,  ai\d  began  to  i-ead  "  The  Knapsack,  Hat  and 
Horn." 


68        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 


CHAPTER  VIT. 

IT  half-past  eight  o'clock  on  Friday  evening 
the  door-bell  of  Mrs.  Dorcus's  house  was 
rung  imperatively  by  a  girl.  The  moon- 
light showed  that  the  girl  was  tall  and  slim, 
with  a  thick  plait  of  dark  hair,  and  about  fifteen  years 
of  age.  A  black  woman,  who  had  evidently  accom- 
panied the  girl,  was  standing  below  the  steps  on  the 
pavement.     The  black  woman  was  giggling  to  herself. 

"  Yo'  sutney  did  give  a  powerful  pull  to  Mis  Dorcus's 
bell,"  said  Nancy  ]\Iaude.  "  You  alls  has  got  a  big  lot 
o'  important  business  on  hand  dese  days,  I  cla'." 

"  I  didn't  pull  the  bell  too  hard,  did  I,  Xancy  ?  "  asked 
Carrie  Offutt  anxiously.  "I  don't  want  anybody  to 
think  I'm  not  ladylike." 

"Yo'  bes'  left  me  rung  de  bell  fo'  yo'  den,"  said 
Nancy.  "  Dey  gunno  t'ink  it's  a  man  bringin'  shoes 
home,  or  some'n." 

Then  the  door  was  opened,  and  Carrie  stepped  into 
the  hall.  "  I  just  want  to  see  Miss  Effie  for  a  minute," 
she  explained.  "Xo,  I'm  not  visiting;  Ell  stay  here. 
Tell  her  to  come  right  away,  please." 

Effie  answered  the  summons  immediateh'.  '*  AVhat's 
the  matter,  Carrie?"  she  asked. 

"  I'm  relieved  to  hear  ^^ou  speak  in  3-our  usual  tone," 


THE  SUXBEAM  CLUB.  69 

said  Carrie.  "I  was  afraid,  after  all,  3-011  might  be 
eaten  up." 

"  Oh,  I'm  safe  and  sound  I  "  said  Effie  briglitly. 

Then  Carrie  said  dolef ull}^  ''  Effie,  1  don't  know  what 
to  do  about  my  day,  —  about  to-morrow." 

*'  Oh,  you  must  think  of  something  I  "  cried  Effie. 
"  You've  got  all  night,  Carrie." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Carrie ;  "  but  I  have  thought 
and  thought  and  thought,  and  I  can  only  think  of  one 
thincr." 

''Well,  one  thing's  enough,  isn't  it?"  asked  Effie. 

"  But  it's  something  that  t/ou  can't  do,"  said  Carrie. 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Effie. 

"Unless,"  added  Carrie,  "you  are  willing  to  borrow 
your  Aunt  Mary's  baby." 

"  Why,  yes,  I  guess  I  can,"  said  Effie,  looking  ex- 
tremely puzzled.  She  could  not  understand  how  the 
borrowing  of  her  Aunt  Mary's  baby  should  be  necessary 
towards  the  carrying  out  of  a  Sunbeam's  plan.  "Yes, 
I  guess  I  can,  Carrie,"  she  said  again. 

"  You  see,"  explained  Carrie,  "  the  onl}^  thing  that 
I  can  think  of  is  taking  care  of  the  baby  or  our  little 
brothers  and  sisters  during  my  day;  and  you  are  the 
only  Sunbeam  who  has  neither  little  brothers  nor  sisters 
nor  a  baby  in  the  house." 

"  Oh,  I  see  !  "  cried  Effie.  "  Yes,  I  am  certain  that 
Aunt  Mary  will  let  me  borrow  Ferdie." 

"  Then  the  poor  nurses  can  have  a  rest,"  said  Carrie  ; 
"  that  is  my  object.  Saturday  is  always  such  a  busy 
day  here  in  Lovettsville ;  and  I  don't  know  if  you've 


70        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

noticed  —  no,  of  course  you  haven't  —  but  particularly 
on  a  busy  day  the  small  children  in  a  house  are  more 
troublesome  than  usual,  and  the  baby  seems  to  be  howl- 
ing from  morning  until  night,  at  least  ours  does.  I 
thought  we'd  take  them  to  the  park  to-morrow." 

"It  will  be  real  sweet,"  cried  Effie.  "Aunt  Mary 
will  be  glad  to  let  me  have  Ferdie,  I'm  sure." 

"Now  I  must  go,"  said  Carrie  breathlessly.  "I 
have  to  write  four  notes.  Nancy  Maude  says  she'll 
take  thera  around  for  me ;  she's  so  thankful  that  I'm 
going  to  rid  her  of  the  baby  for  a  day." 

"Laws,  deed  I  is,  ladies! "  ejaculated  Nancy  Maude, 
with  a  giggle. 

"  What  time  must  we  be  at  your  house  ?  "  asked  Eflie. 

"At  nine  o'clock.     Good-night!  " 

"  Good-night!     I'll  run  across  and  see  Aunt  Mary." 

"I  wish  I  ]iad  time  to  stay  and  talk  awhile,"  said 
Carrie,  turning  on  the  lower  step.  "  I  had  such  an  ex- 
perience to-day,  I'd  like  to  tell  you  about  it;  and,  O 
Effie  !  I  would  dearly  love  to  hear  how  you  got  on  with 
Mrs.  Kemp." 

"  I  got  on  very  well,"  said  Effie. 

"  She  let  you  read  to  her  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well !  "  The  moonlight  showed  such  an  expression 
of  wonder  on  Carrie's  uplifted  face  that  Effie  burst  out 
laughing. 

"  If  yo'  wants  me  to  tote  dem  letters  round  befo'  de 
young  ladies  all  goes  to  bed,  yo'  bes'  be  gittin'  home. 
Miss  Carrie,"  said  Nancy  Maude. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB,  71 

"  So  I  had,"  returned  Carrie  good-humoredly.  "  Good- 
night, Effie." 

"  Good-night,"  repeated  Effie.     "  Pleasant  dreams." 

Carrie  and  her  attendant  went  home  in  a  hurry  once 
they  were  started;  and  the  four  notes  were  written, 
despatched,  and  received  by  the  other  four  Sunbeams 
previous  to  bedtime. 

There  was  excitement  in  the  homes  of  the  Sunbeams 
over  Carrie's  revealed  plan ;  and  Effie  succeeded  in  bor- 
rowing the  precious  Ferdie,  on  condition  that  she  would 
keep  his  cloak  on  him,  no  matter  how  much  he  tried  to 
get  rid  of  it,  and  that  she  would  pick  up  his  cap  and  put 
it  back  on  his  head  every  time  he  threw  it  on  the  ground. 

"He  is  a  very  good  baby,"  said  Ferdie's  mamma; 
"  but  he  has  to  be  kept  in  order." 

Punctually  at  nine  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning  five 
girls,  three  of  them  with  baby  cavriages,  surrounded  by 
a  number  of  smiling  little  people,  arrived  at  Carrie's 
house. 

"We  will  wait  outside,"  said  Annie,  when  Carrie 
called  to  them  from  the  doorway  to  come  in;  "we're 
too  many  for  any  one  house." 

"  There  are  eighteen  of  us,"  said  Effie,  "  and  some 
of  us  would  be  difficult  to  get  up  the  steps.  There, 
that's  the  first  time." 

She  stooped  and  picked  up  Ferdie's  cap,  which  lie 
had  thrown  upon  the  pavement,  and  tied  the  strings 
firmly  under  his  chin. 

"  There  are  tAventy-two  of  us  now,"  said  Carrie,  ap- 
pearing in  the  door  again,  accompanied  by  two  fat  little 


72  SUXBEAMS  AXD  J^IOOXBEAMS. 

boys  and  a  little  girl,  and  holding  the  baby  ver}^  care- 
fully. 

Nancy  Maude  followed  her  precious  charge  down  the 
steps,  and  kissed  him  good-by,  bidding  him  be  a  good 
boy  and  mind  sister  Carrie ;  but  she  stood  on  the  pave- 
ment laughing  spasmodically,  as  she  watched  the  Sun- 
beams on  their  way  to  the  park. 

"Dey's  callin'  demselves  by  some  sawt  o'  funny 
name,"  said  Nancy  Maude,  when  she  recovered  from 
her  laughter  enough  to  talk  to  herself,  ''  and  dey  sutney 
is  actin'  up  to  it ;  but  dey  gunno  git  tard  o'  dem  chil- 
luns  'fore  lunch-time,  I  reckon." 

"How  did  you  come  to  think  of  your  plan,  Carrie?" 
asked  Annie. 

"  Well,"  answered  Carrie,  "  I  thought  of  it  when  I 
couldn't  think  of  anything  else.  It  seemed  to  me  that 
we  ought  to  try  to  be  Sunbeams  at  home  as  well  as  to 
people  outside  of  home ;  and  thinking  of  sunbeams,  I 
suppose,  made  me  think  of  the  children.  I  thought  and 
I  thought  and  I  thought,  and  I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  does  sisters  good  to  be  kind  to  their  little  brothers 
and  sisters.  It  isn't  hard  to  be  kind  to  the  baby  in  a 
family,  but  sometimes  the  little  brothers  and  sisters 
running  around  the  place  are  a  trial.  I  have  been  cross 
to  Rob  and  Dick  and  Susie  over  and  over;  and  some- 
thing seemed  to  say  to  me  that  if  I  were  in  earnest,  and 
wanted  to  be  the  right  kind  of  a  sunbeam,  I  would  have 
to  be  good  to  Rob  and  Dick  and  Susie  as  well  as  to  the 
rest  of  the  world.  They  were  just  pleased  to  death 
when  I  told  them  that  I  was  going  to  take  them  to  the 


THE  SUNBEAM   CLUB.  73 

park  with  the  baby  and  all  of  you  ;  they  promised  to  be 
very  good,  and  to  do  everything  I  tell  them ;  and  I  be- 
lieve they  will.  I  believe  it  is  often  the  older  sister's 
fault  that  the  small  children  are  so  hateful.  I  don't 
mean  everybody,  of  course,"  added  Carrie  apologeti- 
cally.    "  I  mean  myself." 

"You're  very  polite,"  said  Annie. 

"  You  don't  know  how  glad  Aunt  Mary's  nurse  was," 
said  Effie.  "  She  hasn't  liad  a  holiday  for  six  months. 
Aunt  Mary  has  been  telling  everybody,  before  her  face, 
how  very  faithful  she  is  to  the  baby,  and  that  she  never 
takes  holiday ;  and  the  poor  thing's  sister  is  sick,  and 
she's  been  longing  and  longing  for  a  day  off.  I  never 
saw  anybody  so  grateful  as  she  was,  when  I  told  her 
that  I  was  going  to  borrow  the  baby  for  a  whole  day  ; 
and  Aunt  Mary  said  she  might  take  a  holiday." 

"  The  people  are  looking  at  us,"  said  Annie's  little 
brother  John;  "they  think  we're  soldiers  or  some- 
thing." 

"  Willie  was  afraid  he  was  too  big,"  said  Rose ;  "  but 
he  wanted  to  come.  He  says  he  will  help  to  take  care 
of  the  babies." 

"I  will  help  take  care  of  the  babies  too,"  said  the 
little  sister  of  Madge,  aged  three  years. 

"I  want  to  see  how  all  you  girls  get  on  playing 
nurses,"  said  the  Latin  scholar. 

The  people  of  Lovettsville  did  notice  them  as  they 
walked  along  the  streets,  making  such  a  goodly  crowd, 
—  noticed  them,  and  smiled  at  them  in  friendly  fashion. 

"I   believe   they  are    taking   the   babies    out  to  the 


T4        SUNBEAMS  AXD  MOOyBEAMS, 

park,"  said  more  than  one  little  girl,  whose  own  baby 
brother  or  sister  was  minus  a  nurse.  "  Mamma,  I  will 
take  our  baby  too." 

The  Sunbeams  settled  themselves  on  the  park  benches, 
and  allowed  the  babies  who  were  old  enough  to  run 
about  in  the  paths,  playing  with  one  another ;  while  the 
children  several  sizes  larger  were  stationed  at  particular 
points,  with  orders  to  keep  the  babies  within  bounds. 

"Now  we  are  soldiers^^'  said  Annie's  little  brother. 

The  Sunbeams  were  all  easier  to  hear  about  Effie's 
visit  to  Mrs.  Sue  Kemp. 

"There  really  isn't  much  to  tell,"  said  Effie.  "At 
first  I  was  afraid  she  wasn't  going  to  let  me  read  to 
her ;  but  she  did,  and  I  got  along  very  nicely." 

"  Did  you  read  more  than  a  chapter?  "  asked  Madge. 

"  More  than  a  stor}-,"  said  Effie. 

"  Story  !  "  cried  Lula.  "  What  kind  of  stories  did 
you  read  her,  Effie  Dorcus  ?  " 

Then  the  Sunbeams  were  thrown  into  a  state  of  stu- 
pefaction by  Effie  telling  them  that  she  read  Mrs.  Kemp 
"The  Knapsack,  Hat,  and  Horn,"  "Little  Red  Cap," 
and  "  The  Frog  Prince,"  and  that  Mrs.  Kemp  had 
asked  for  more  when  she  finished  reading  "  Little 
Red  Cap." 

"But,  Effie,"  said  Annie,  "I  thought  your  object  in 
reading  to  Mrs.  Sue  Kemp  was  to  make  her  a  better 
Christian  ?  " 

"  It  was,"  said  Effie.  "When  I  left  Mrs.  Kemp  she 
was  a  better  Christian  than  when  I  went  into  her  house ; 
she  was  in  a  good  humor." 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  75 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams. 

"  I  believe  Effie  is  on  the  right  track,"  said  Rose. 

"  Now,  Carrie,"  said  Effie,  "  give  us  your  experience 
with  Mrs.  Robertson." 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  said  Rose,  "  till  I  put  on  my 
baby's  shoes.  He  will  kick  them  off.  Aren't  they  too 
cute,  sitting  in  tlieir  carriages  looking  at  us?  Yes, 
Carrie,  do  tell  us  about  Mrs.  Robertson," 

''  Girls,  you  all  know  how  fearfully  I  read,"  said 
Carrie. 

"  What  did  you  read  ?  "  asked  Annie. 

"  Oh  !  Mrs.  Robertson  had  a  nice  little  book  that  Mr. 
Souder  lent  her.     I  read  her  that." 

"Carrie  Offutt,"  exclaimed  Madge,  "you  are  trying 
to  get  out  of  telling  us  something.  What  happened 
when  you  were  at  Mrs.  Robertson's?" 

"  She's  a  very  pleasant  lady,"  said  Carrie  ;  "  and  she 
has  a  nurse.  The  nurse  is  pleasant,  too,  but  she  is  un- 
educated ;  and  they  were  both  very  glad  when  I  offered 
to  read." 

"Well!"   demanded  Madge. 

"  Mrs.  Robertson  gave  me  the  little  book,  and  told 
me  to  stop  reading  when  I  got  tired,"  continued  Carrie. 
"  It  was  such  a  little  book,  I  never  dreamed  of  getting 
tired.  Well,  you  know,  when  I'm  interested  I  read 
rapidly.  Papa  says  he  never  knew  any  one  to  read  so 
fast.  I  forgot  all  about  what  Rose  told  me  in  regard 
to  speaking  slowly  and  distinctly  to  a  deaf  person,  and 
that  reading  was  the  same  as  speaking.  Oh,  girls,  I 
read  the  little  book  through  in  forty  minutes,  and  it 


76        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

was  intended  to  last  Mrs.  Robertson  a  wlioie  week ! 
When  I  finished,  and  looked  at  Mrs.  Robertson,  slie  was 
sliaking  with  laugliter.  She's  sick,  you  know,  and 
she's  nervous ;  and  the  tears  were  literally  running 
down  her  cheeks.  You  may  know  how  I  felt.  I  think 
I  could  have  cried,  I  was  so  vexed  with  myself.  The 
nurse  tried  to  smooth  matters  over  by  saying  that  I 
read  beautifully,  just  like  I  talked ;  and  that  nobody 
ought  to  expect  a  little  book  like  that  to  last  a  person  a 
weelv.  But  Mrs.  Robertson  is  real  nice,  and  I  am  going 
again ;  and  next  time  I  intend  to  read  slowly  and  dis- 
tinctly. She  said  that  the  laugh  had  done  her  a  great 
deal  of  good  ;  and  she  explained  that  she  was  deaf,  and 
hadn't  understood  anything  I  read.  '  I  could  see  your 
lips  going,  and  hear  a  sound,  and  see  you  turning  the 
pages,'  she  said;  and  she  began  to  laugh  again.  But, 
indeed,  girls,  she  was  real  nice,  and  I'm  going  again." 

"Well,  after  that  I  don't  feel  ashamed  any  more," 
said  Madge. 

"Why,  what  happened  to  you?"  asked  Annie. 

"  I  read  the  Major  to  sleep.'* 

"O  Madge!  you  didn't?"  cried  Effie.  "Here, 
Ferdie,  here's  your  cap  again.  Let  Cousin  Effie  tie  it  in 
a  harder  knot  this  time." 

"  He  wouldn't  acknowledge  that  he  was  sleepy,"  ex- 
plained Madge.  "  I  asked  him  two  or  three  times  if  I 
hadn't  read  enough ;  but  every  time  he  said  no,  and 
glared  at  me  so  ferociously  that  I  felt  obliged  to  read 
on.     I  was  afraid  to  leave  until  I  heard  him  snoring." 

"  O  Madge  !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  11 

"I  don't  know  whether  to  go  back  to  read  to  him 
again  or  not,"  concluded  Madge.  *'  If  I  had  gone  to 
sleep  while  a  person  was  reading  to  me,  and  snored,  I 
would  never  want  to  look  upon  that  person's  face  again." 

*'  The  Major  won't  mind,"  said  Annie  easily. 

The  truth  of  Annie's  words  was  proved  that  after- 
noon when  the  Sunbeams  brought  the  babies  out  again. 
The  Major  came  stumbling  along  one  of  the  park  paths, 
peering  about  him.  He  had  a  newspaper  in  his  hand. 
He  paused  before  a  group  of  Sunbeams  teaching  the 
children  a  new  game,  and  inquired,  "  Isn't  there  a  little 
girl  here  who  read  to  me  yesterday  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Rose,  "she's  here." 

*'  She  left  in  the  middle  of  a  very  interesting  article," 
continued  the  Major.  "  I  suppose  her  mother  wanted 
her  —  in  the  middle  of  a  most  interesting  and  absorbing 
article.     You  say  she  is  here  ?  " 

"  She  is  here,"  said  the  Latin  scholar,  with  a  twinkle 
in  his  eye  ;  "  but  she's  taking  care  of  the  baby." 

"  Ah  ! "  cried  the  Major.  "  Where  is  the  little  girl  ? 
and  where  is  the  baby?  I  will  take  care  of  the  baby 
while  the  little  girl  finishes  this  article." 

So  Madge  finished  the  article  written  by  a  war  cor- 
respondent while  the  Major  dangled  the  Hilton  baby 
on  his  knee,  and  allowed  it  to  play  with  his  gold  watch- 
chain  and  his  cigar-case ;  and  the  other  Sunbeams,  look- 
ing at  Madge,  concluded  that  the  very  best  way  to  be 
happy  in  this  world  is  to  be  busy  and  good. 

"  Carrie,"  said  Rose,  at  the  close  of  the  day,  "  your 
plan  has  been  delightful." 


78        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  I  feel  as  if  Ferdie  were  my  little  brother,"  said  Effie. 

"We  will  take  care  of  the  babies  every  Saturday," 
said  Carrie.  "  When  it  rains  we'll  play  witli  them  in- 
doors, and  when  it's  fair  we'll  come  out  here  in  the 
park  together.  Girls,  haven't  the  babies  behaved  splen- 
didly?" 

"Splendidly!"  echoed  the  Sunbeams;  and  thus  ended 
the  first  Baby  Day  in  Lovettsville. 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  79 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

|HE  Sunbeam  Club  prospered  amazingly;  it 
broadened  out  and  it  deepened;  it  became 
a  something  very  beautiful  in  the  midst  of 
the  town  of  Lovettsville,  while  six  girls 
kept  on  finding  occupation  with  which  to  fill  up  the 
days  of  vacation  that  otherwise  would  have  been  dull 
enough. 

On  the  second  Monday  morning  the  poet's  note  had 
been  found  fastened  to  a  basket  of  fruit,  presented  to 
his  young  friends  with  compliments  and  thanks.  It 
was  more  than  a  note,  however ;  it  was  quite  a  lengthy 
epistle,  as  Annie  discovered  when  she  opened  it,  and 
spread  it  out  before  the  other  Sunbeams.  "  Four  pages 
of  letter-size  paper,"  said  Annie.  "  O  girls,  I  wonder 
what  Mr.  Gilliland  has  to  say ! " 

Mr.  Gilliland  had  a  great  deal  to  say.  First  he 
thanked  them  again  for  the  surprise  they  had  been 
kind  enough  to  give  him  on  the  preceding  Monday,  and 
acknowledged  that  he  would  have  been  greatly  mys- 
tified in  regard  to  the  members  of  the  Sunbeam  Club 
if  he  had  not  been  fortunate  enough  to  catch  sight  of 
half-a-dozen  young  ladies  leaving  his  home  by  the 
beaten  way  while  he  advanced  to  it  across  the  field. 
Then  the  poet  added  :  — 


80  SUNBEAMS  AXB  3I00yBEAMS. 

"  I  have  a  proposition  to  make  to  the  Sunbeam  Club  after  I 
have  told  them  a  story.  Every  morning  there  goes  into  the  city 
on  the  same  train  with  myself  a  little  old  man  who  works  in  a 
shoemaker's  shop.  This  little  old  man,  whose  name  is  Peter 
Thome,  also  lives  by  himself ;  but  instead  of  being  a  happy  old 
bachelor,  who  can  be  cast  into  a  seventh  heaven  of  delight  by 
stepping  into  a  clean  house,  this  old  man  is  a  widower  whose 
daughter  has  quarrelled  with  him,  and  taken  up  her  quarters  out- 
side the  parental  home  where  she  had  lived  in  harmony  with  him 
for  a  period  of  three  years.  Besides  the  daughter,  there  are  four 
grandchildren,  and  these  five  mortals  are  the  dearest  things  in 
the  world  to  Peter  Thorne.  He  has  explained  to  me  in  detail 
that  his  daughter  expected  too  much  of  him;  that  she  wanted 
him  to  furnish  the  house  in  the  latest  style,  and  that  he  couldn't 
afford  to  do  it.  I  rather  imagine  that  the  house  is  furnished  in 
the  most  miserable  of  styles,  if  furnished  it  could  be  called ;  and 
I  have  learned  by  discreet  inquiry  that  the  daughter  has  regretted 
her  hastiness,  and  would  gladly  be  reconciled  to  the  old  man, 
only  that  she  is  too  proud  to  make  the  first  advances.  I  have 
also  discovered  that  the  old  man  is  trying  to  save  up  a  little 
money,  and  that  he  is  frequently  inquiring  the  prices  of  rocking- 
chairs,  etc.,  sitting  on  the  jDavement  up  Seventh  Street,  and  sigh- 
ing over  the  same.  I  have  told  you  the  story,  and  now  comes 
the  proposition.  "Would  it  not  be  a  good  thing  for  the  Sunbeam 
Club  to  call  upon  Peter  Thome's  daughter,  and  use  their  persua- 
sive powers  to  prevail  upon  her  to  return  to  her  father's  house  ? 
Work  upon  her  feelings,  tell  her  that  you  understand  how  very 
fond  the  old  man  is  of  both  his  daughter  and  her  offspring ;  but, 
my  dear  children,  you  will  know  what  to  say,  and  will  say  it 
better  than  I  can  tell  you.  But  there  is  one  thing  that  I  would 
like  to  help  you  to  do  ;  that  is,  put  a  little  furniture  in  the  house  of 
Peter  Thome.  You  will  see  that  I  have  been  very  careful  in  my 
beautifully  clean  house,  that  1  have  put  all  my  scraps  into  the 
scrap-basket ;   perhaps  you  will  even  notice  that  I  have  dusted  off 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  81 

my  desk.  So  there  is  very  little  for  the  Sunbeams  to  do  in  George 
Gilliland's  bachelor  hall.  Go  instead  to  the  little  old  man's 
house  on  the  other  side  of  the  town.  It  is  a  long  walk,  to  be 
sure ;  and  I  would  not  dare  to  propose  it  to  young  ladies  who 
were  not  joined  together  in  a  Sunbeam  Club,  and  who  were  not 
very  desirous  of  working  straight  along  during  vacation.  Mr. 
Thorne,  like  myself,  believes  in  the  honesty  of  his  neighbors  ;  he 
leaves  his  door  unlocked.  Go  into  the  house,  and  do  not  be 
shocked  if  you  find  it  in  greater  disorder  than  you  found  the 
poet's  sanctum ;  don't  be  dismayed  if  you  think  you  are  in  the 
grimiest  hole  under  heaven.  It  is  only  the  home  of  a  poor  old 
man  who  has  been  used  to  having  his  w^omen  folk  about  him, 
and  who  does  not  know  how  to  look  after  his  own  comfort.  Find 
out  exactly  what  amount  of  furniture  this  ugly  little  house  needs 
to  make  it  habitable  for  the  old  man,  the  daughter,  and  the  four 
children,  and  make  a  list  of  the  furniture,  and  send  it  to  me.  Do 
not  be  dismayed,  either,  if  you  think  the  furniture  will  cost  a 
considerable  amount  of  money  ;  a  man  who  has  no  family  of  his 
own  can  certainly  afford  to  be  generous  once  in  a  while. 

"  Description  of  Mr.  Thorne's  House  and  Directions  for 
REACHING  Same. 

"The  house  in  question  consists  of  a  little  two-story  frame 
building  with  an  old-time  chimney  going  up  on  the  outside. 
There  is  a  well  in  the  front  yard,  and  a  gate  with  blue-painted 
posts.  It  cannot  be  mistaken.  In  order  to  reach  this  house,  you 
pass  down  Broadway,  and  go  out  the  pike  for  about  three-quarters 
of  a  mile,  turning  to  the  left  when  you  come  to  the  toll-gate. 

"You  see,  my  dear  young  friends,  that  I  have  dropped  into 
newspaper  style,  apparently  forgetful  that  I  am  addressing  the 
Sunbeams  who  have  been  kind  enough  to  begin  a  letter  to  me 
with  'i\Ir.  Poet.'  Yet  I  really  have  not  forgotten.  I  do  not  think 
I  would  have  the  courage  to  ask  any  one  but  Sunbeams  to  look 


82  SUXBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

after  the  -welfare  of  old  Peter  Thorne.  Send  the  list  of  the  neces- 
sary furniture  to  me  during  the  week ;  work  on  the  daughter's 
feelings  also  during  the  week ;  next  Monday  engage  two  strong 
women  to  scrub  up  the  place ;  have  the  furniture,  which  I  shall 
make  arrangements  to  have  hauled  up  from  the  depot,  placed  in 
the  house  in  the  customary  manner,  or,  rather,  according  to  the 
taste  of  the  Sunbeam  Club ;  establish  the  daughter  and  the  chil- 
dren safely  within,  and  I  tell  you  there  will  not  be  a  happier  man 
in  Christendom  than  old  Peter  Thorne  when  he  returns  home 
tired  and  hungry. 

"  I  myself  will  be  very  careful  during  the  entire  week  neither 
to  cast  my  scraps  outside  the  waste-basket,  nor  to  shake  the  ashes 
of  my  pipe  upon  the  side  of  my  desk.  I  will  even  dust  the  chairs 
if  you  think  they  will  need  it,  so  that  you  may  have  the  whole 
of  my  third  Monday  in  attending  to  the  business  outside  the 
other  end  of  Lovettsville. 

"  Trusting  I  am  not  infringing  upon  any  of  the  rules  and  regu- 
lations of  the  Sunbeam  Club,  I  am,  my  dear  young  friends, 
"  Yours  truly, 

"  George  Gillilaxd." 

When  Annie  finished  reading  this  letter  the  Sunbeams 
had  regarded  one  another  ecstatically,  and  after  that 
they  had  tidied  up  the  poet's  home  in  a  tremendous 
hurry,  for  the  suggestions  in  that  four-page  letter 
brought  joy  to  the  soul. 

It  had  not  been  difficult  to  break  throuorh  the  dausfh- 
ter's  pride,  nor  to  effect  the  transformation  in  the  little 
house.  The  Tvoman  had  gone  back  to  her  old  father 
repentant,  thinking  she  was  going  to  the  meagrely  fur- 
nished house  where  the  two  boys  must  sleep  on  the 
floor  instead  of  in  a  "  dacent  bed ;  "  and  she  had  found 
the  place  comfortable  and  delightful.     Joy  sat  upon  the 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB,  83 

threshold  waiting  for  tlie  little  old  shoemaker  tliat 
Monday  evening. 

"  Poets  are  so  nice,"  Annie  had  said ;  and  all  the 
other  Sunbeams  agreed  with  her. 

Sewing  Day  also  came  and  went,  and  came  again  and 
was  welcome.  Tommy's  father's  old  "  blue  pants  "  had 
been  made  into  a  diminutive  pair  of  trousers  and  a 
pretty  little  blue  coat ;  and  Tommy  was  also  furnished 
with  a  shirt  waist  with  a  wide  collar  made  in  the  latest 
style.  Mrs.  Engle  had  gone  into  rhapsodies  over  the 
dresses  of  the  twins,  but  she  fairly  bubbled  over  in  her 
joy  of  Tommy. 

"  Well,"  she  cried,  "and  you  don't  call  yourself  seam- 
sters,  neither?  " 

"  No,"  returned  the  Sunbeams  modestly. 

"  Well,  you  oughta,"  she  declared  with  firm  conviction. 

Mrs.  Engle  was  proud  and  happy,  too,  when  she  sat  in 
the  front  room,  taking  a  lesson  in  sewing  from  a  Sunbeam. 

There  were  other  people  in  the  town  of  Lovettsville 
who  did  not  know  how  to  sew,  and  yet  were  obliged 
to  make  their  children's  clothes.  To  them  also  tlie 
Sunbeams  lent  their  help  unstintingly. 

"  We  are  all  of  us  learning  to  sew  ever  so  much  better 
ourselves,"  said  Annie. 

"  Yes,"  said  Effie ;  "  at  the  beginning  I  could  only 
make  sleeves,  and  now  I  can  make  a  whole  little  dress 
all  by  myself." 

"  As  for  me,"  said  Carrie,  "  when  Sewing  Day  comes 
around,  and  I  get  together  my  needle  and  thread  and 
emery,  I  feel  as  if  I  were  a  '  seamster  '  sure  enough." 


84        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

And  the  sick  people  of  Lovettsville  enjoyed  the 
dessert  carried  around  the  town  once  a  week  by  six  Sun- 
beams ;  and  many  an  afflicted  or  busy  person  listened 
with  a  thankful  heart  to  a  Sunbeam  reading,  forgiving 
lier  readily  if  she  read  too  rapidly,  or  if,  in  her  desire 
for  improvement,  she  went  to  the  other  extreme  and 
read  too  slowly. 

''I  believe  I  do  read  a  little  better,"  said  Carrie 
Offutt  to  her  sister  Sunbeams.  "  Mrs.  Robertson  says 
she  can  almost  always  understand  me  now.  She  is  so 
very  patient.  I  hadn't  any  idea  there  were  so  many 
really  good  people  in  Lovettsville  until  we  formed  our 
Club." 

Then  Annie  turned  to  Effie,  and  asked,  "  Are  you 
still  reading  '  Grimm's  Fairy  Tales '  to  Mrs.  Sue 
Kemp  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Effie,  blushing ;  "  I  am  reading  something 
deeper  now." 

"  Oh,"  murmured  the  Sunbeams. 

"  Has  Mr.  Souder  been  to  see  her  again  ? "  asked 
Rose. 

"  No,  not  yet,"  said  Effie. 

One  Friday  afternoon  Effie  Dorcus  was  kneeling  by 
Mrs.  Kemp's  bed.  The  sunlight  coming  through  the 
gigantic  holes  in  the  window-blinds  flooded  her  sunny 
curls,  and  falling  upon  the  sick  woman's  face  showed 
its  greater  attenuation  and  the  dark  circles  around  the 
bright  eyes.  Upon  the  chair  where  the  little  girl  had 
been  sitting  was  a  family  Bible.  Mrs.  Kemp  had  been 
taken  gradually  through  a  course  of  reading,  the  begin- 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  85 

ning  of  which  had  been  the  stoiy  of  "  The  Knapsack, 
Hat,  and  Horn."  Slowly  but  surely  she  had  been 
weaned  away  from  the  things  of  this  world,  from  the 
poor  little  house,  and  the  mean  little  yard,  and  the  cat 
and  the  dog.  She  had  not  been  a  bad  woman,  as  she 
had  defiantly  said  to  Effie  upon  her  first  visit ;  but  she 
had  not  known  how  very  good  a  woman  ought  to  be 
in  order  to  enter  into  eternal  life,  to  drink  of  its  joys, 
and  taste  no  more  sorrow.  Effie's  hands  were  clasping 
the  hands  of  the  sick  woman  as  slowly  and  tearfully 
Mrs.  Kemp  was  asking  the  Lord  of  Higli  Heaven  to 
make  her  good.  ''  Unless  ye  become  as  little  children 
ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven."  Mrs. 
Kemp  was  as  much  a  child  as  Effie  Dorcus  as  she 
asked  the  Lord  to  make  her  good. 

Then  a  neighbor  entered  the  room,  and  Effie  rose 
from  her  knees,  and  put  on  her  hat.  Fifteen  minutes 
later  she  was  standing  in  the  minister's  study. 

''Mr.  Souder,"  she  said,  "Mrs.  Kemp  would  like  to 
see  you  very  much." 

"  God  bless  you,  my  child,"  said  Mr.  Souder. 

A  week  later  Mrs.  Kemp  died  a  happy  death. 

"  It  is  all  because  Effie  was  so  little,"  said  Carrie,  as 
the  Sunbeams  regarded  one  another  with  dewy  eyes. 

The  people  in  Lovettsville  began  to  wonder  at  the 
change  that  had  come  over  the  richest  lady  in  the  place. 
Contact  with  the  Sunbeams  deprived  Mrs.  Rudolph  of 
her  character  for  unsociability.  She  spoke  to  the  Sun- 
beams gayly  when  she  met  them  upon  tlie  street,  and 
was  forever   inviting    them    into   her   carriage.     Then 


86        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

the  contact  with  the  Sunbeams  brought  her  in  contact 
with  their  friends,  and  she  was  not  long  in  discovering 
that  the  Sunbeams  were  friends  with  all  the  people  in 
Lovettsville.  Mrs.  Rudolph  was  always  glad,  and  so 
were  the  Sunbeams,  when  Knitting  Day  came  around. 

"It  is  astonishing,"  cried  Carrie  one  day,  lifting  her 
head  from  her  knitting,  "how  very  good  people  seem 
when  you  get  to  know  them." 

Miss  Offutt  blushed  hotly  when  the  Sunbeams  re- 
peated her  sentence  to  her  later,  and  declared  to  her 
that  Mrs.  Rudolph  had  smiled. 

"  Oh  !  but  I  didn't  mean  her,"  cried  Carrie.  "  I  would 
never  be  so  rude." 

"No,  of  course  not,"  said  Madge j  "you  only  meant 
my  nice  old  Spanish  lady." 

"  But  Mrs.  Rudolph  smiled,  notwithstanding,"  said 
Annie,  laughing. 

To  some  people.  Baby  Day  was  the  best  in  Lovetts- 
ville ;  it  was  such  a  friendly,  jubilant,  buoyant  sort 
of  day.  Rose  had  said,  when  she  first  noticed  that 
other  little  girls  were  bringing  their  baby  sisters  and 
brothers  to  play  in  the  park  on  Saturday,  "  Why,  this 
idea  of  Carrie's  was  very  brilliant."  Many  mothers 
considered  the  idea,  whose  ever  it  was,  verj-,  very 
brilliant. 

"  It  makes  such  a  difference  in  a  family  when  the 
oldest  daughter  takes  an  interest  in  her  little  brothers 
and  sisters,  and  draws  them  close  to  her,"  said  the  wife 
of  the  town  jeweller.  "  Paul  and  Aimee  are  like  differ- 
ent children  since  Julie  has  been  taking  them  to  the 


THE  SUNBEAM  CLUB.  87 

park  every  Saturday.     They  seem  to  be  good  all  the 
week  ill  anticipation  of  Baby  Day." 

It  was  upon  a  glorious  afternoon  belonging  to  Baby 
Day,  that  Dr.  Thompson  turned  into  the  park  for  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  what  was  going  on  there.  The  chil- 
dren were  having  a  delightful  time  ;  they  were  playing 
Puss-in-the-corner,  while  a  number  of  small  boys  were 
deep  in  a  game  of  marbles.  The  doctor  patted  one  of 
his  own  youngsters  upon  the  head,  bade  him  "  play 
fair,"  and  walked  on  to  where  a  group  of  Sunbeams 
were  talking  over  some  amusing  experiences  of  the 
previous  day.  They  looked  up  when  they  heard  some 
one  singing  softly :  — 

"  O  I  love  the  merry  Sunbeams! 
They  make  the  heart  so  gay 
With  their  briglit  and  smiling  faces, 
On  a  summer  holiday!  " 

''  There  !  "  added  the  doctor  emphatically,  "  I  mustn't 
make  you  all  vain." 

"  Papa,  you  know  that  isn't  the  song,"  said  Rose. 

"  Isn't  the  song !  "  cried  the  doctor.  "  Why,  my 
dear  child,  the  song  is  years  older  than  you.  Isn't  the 
song,  indeed,  Rose  !  " 

"You  know,"  said  Rose,  "that  it's  this  way:  — 

"  '  O  I  love  the  merry  sunshine 
It  makes  the  heart  so  gay 
To  hear  the  sweet  birds  singing 
On  a  summer  holiday  ! '  " 

"  Oh ! "  exclaimed  the  doctor,  in  such  a  tone  of  con- 
sternation that  all  the  Sunbeams  lauglied. 


88  SUNBEAMS  AXD  MOONBEAMS. 

"  There  is  no  excuse  for  such  a  mistake,"  he  said ; 
"  no,  indeed,  none  whatever.  Even  in  the  presence  of 
a  number  of  young  lady  Sunbeams  there  is  no  excuse 
for  such  a  blunder  as  that." 

"  Papa  is  always  teasing  me  about  being  a  Sunbeam," 
said  Rose  ;  "  but  I  know  he  is  glad  when  Baby  Day 
comes,  even  if  he  isn't  home  all  the  time." 

The  doctor  passed  along  down  the  walk,  humming  as 
he  went ;  but  again  he  fitted  the  new  version  to  the  old 
tune. 

Then  some  one,who  had  been  listening  to  the  doctor's 
banter,  stood  in  front  of  the  group  of  Sunbeams.  It 
was  a  little  boy  in  a  blue  suit  of  clothes  and  a  broad 
sailor  collar.  There  was  mischief  in  his  dark  eyes, 
and  his  mother  was  nowhere  near. 

"  You  ain't  nothin'  but  girls,  far's  I  can  see,"  cried 
Tommy  Engle,  and  darted  away. 


THE   MOONBEAM    CLUB. 


CHAPTER  I. 

|HE  Moonbeam  Club  of  Lovettsville  was 
started  half  in  fun  and  half  in  earnest  by 
the  boys  of  the  graduating-class  of  the  Lovetts- 
ville High  School ;  it  was  started  upon  a  dis- 
mal day  in  November  during  the  afternoon  recess.  The 
boys  had  been  looking  out  of  the  schoolroom  windows 
at  the  rain  falling  steadily  upon  the  pavem  nt  opposite, 
when  Peter  Hopwood,  the  youngest  member  of  the 
class,  a  boy  whose  fond  mother  determined  should  not 
wear  long  trousers  until  he  was  sixteen,  wheeled  about 
suddenly  with  a  glimmer  of  fun  in  his  eyes,  and  some- 
thing else  too,  and,  pointing  a  finger  at  each  boy  suc- 
cessively, cried  out  impressively ;  ''  Monday,  Tuesday, 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  Friday,  Saturday."  When 
Peter  said  "  Saturday  "  his  finger  was  placed  politely 
upon  a  button  of  his  vest. 

"  Well,  what's  up  ?  "  demanded  William  Scott,  other- 
wise known  as  the  Giant. 

"  Nothing's  up,"  replied  Peter,  "  only  Pve  been 
thinking." 

"  Out  with  it,  boy,"  said  Tom  Risley. 


90        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  We're  the  same  number  as  the  Sunbeam  Club,"  said 
Peter. 

"  Rhetorically  finished  sentence  !  "  exclaimed  Alex- 
ander Brown.  ''  Fellow-students,  our  friend  has  been 
thinking  deeply.  Mark  ye  !  we  are  the  same  number  as 
that  highly  respected  organization,  the  Sunbeam  Club." 

"  Well,  what  if  we  are  ?  "  inquired  Singleton  Fields. 

"Explain  the  conundrum,  Hopwood,  and  be  quick 
about  it,"  said  Brown.  "We  are  in  a  fever  of  expec- 
tation ;  next  thing  you  know  we'll  be  having  the 
chills." 

"Not  unless  you  give  them  to  us,  Aristocrat," 
answered  Peter.  "  I  say,  fellows,"  he  added  enthusias- 
tically, "  I  can't,  for  the  life  of  me,  see  why  we  shouldn't 
join  forces,  and  become  the  Moonbeam  Club  of  Lovetts- 
ville." 

For  an  instant  five  boys  stared  incredulously  at  the 
speaker. 

"  The  Moonbeam  Club  of  Lovettsville,"  repeated  the 
Giant,  his  wits  slowly  returning. 

"  Let  a  little  more  light  upon  the  subject,  Peter,  my 
dear,"  said  Risley. 

"  Tell  us  what  we'd  have  to  do,"  said  John  Sedgwick. 

"  Well,  first  thing,"  said  Peter,  "  we'd  have  to  or- 
ganize." 

"  All  right,  boys,  let's  organize ;  that's  easy  enough," 
said  Fields ;  "  but  before  proceeding  to  action  let's 
insist  upon  the  President  going  into  long  pants." 

"  Oh,  there  isn't  to  be  any  president  I  "  said  Hop- 
wood,  blushing  at  the  allusion  to  his  trousers. 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  91 

"  The  Sunbeams  have  no  president,"  said  Scott. 

"  That's  so,"  said  Sandy  Brown. 

"  We  can't  get  along  better  in  this  weary  world  than 
the  Sunbeams,"  said  Hop  wood. 

"  I  doubt  if  we  can  get  along  as  well,"  said  the  Giant. 
"Be  a  little  more  explicit,  Mr.  Hopwood;  vv^e'll  give 
you  our  strictest  attention."  William  seated  himself 
upon  a  desk,  threw  liis  long  right  leg  over  his  left,  put 
his  great  hands  into  his  pockets,  and  regarded  Peter 
thoughtfully. 

"  Those  girls  did  a  lot  of  work  during  the  summer," 
said  Peter;  "and  they're  keeping  up  the  business  on 
Saturday.  It's  astonishing;  yes,  indeed,  there's  no 
doubt  about  it,  it's  astonishing;  everybody  says  so." 

"  Allowed  that  it's  astonishing,"  said  the  Giant  pla- 
cidly. "Turn  your  attention,  Mr.  Hopwood,  to  the 
organization  in  the  room.  What  is  the  issue  of  your 
few  moments  of  deep  thinking  ?  " 

"  What  are  we  to  do?"  asked  John  Sedgwick. 

"  We're  to  work  at  nights,"  said  Peter. 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  the  Moonbeams. 

"What  kind  of  work?"  asked  the  Aristocrat. 

"  All  kinds,"  returned  Peter.  "  You  see,  those  girls 
each  had  to  think  of  something  for  her  day ;  w^e've  all 
got  to  have  our  days  ;  one  fellow's  not  to  think  for 
everybody,  it  wouldn't  be  fair." 

"iSTo,"  said  the  Aristocrat,  "it  wouldn't  be  fair 
exactly." 

"  He'd  have  no  time  for  his  studies,  eh  ?  "  inquired 
the  Giant. 


92        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"First  thing,"  began  Peter  again. 

"First  thing  was  the  organization;  that's  settled,'* 
said  the  Giant.     "  Second  thing,  if  you  please." 

"Second  thing,  then,"  said  Peter;  "we've  got  to 
have  our  days." 

"  Our  nights,  you  mean,"  corrected  Sedgwick. 

"Alexander  Brown,  His  Night,"  said  Risley,  mus- 
ingly. 

"  Yes,"  cried  Peter  excitedl}^  at  which  the  new  orga- 
nization burst  into  appreciative  laughter. 

"  How  did' the  Sunbeams  manage  about  their  days?  " 
inquired  the  Giant,  maintaining  liis  position  upon  the 
desk,  but  throwing  his  left  leg  over  his  riglit. 

"  I  can  tell  3'ou  how  they  managed,"  said  Singleton 
Fields  ;  "  I  had  it  first-hand  from  Carrie  Offutt.  They 
all  wanted  the  last  day,  of  course,  but  there  weren't 
enough  of  last  daj^s  to  go  round,  so  some  of  them  had  to 
be  satisfied  with  the  first  da3"s  ;  and  one  Monday  morn- 
ing, bright  and  early,  Annie  Winthrop  marched  them 
off  to  clean  up  Mr.  Gilliland's  house,  which  has  been  a 
marvel  of  neatness  ever  since.  The  poet,  b}'  force  of 
good  example,  has  learned  to  dust,  and  to  bake  apple- 
pie,  I  believe." 

"  I'm  down  on  house-cleaning."  said  Singleton  Fields, 
so  solemnly  that  John  Sedgwick  Avas  cruel  enough  to 
remember  and  impart  his  knowledge  that  Singleton's 
mother  always  made  him  beat  the  sitting-room  carpet. 

"  Good  work  for  boj-s,"  said  the  Giant.  "  But  it's 
the  fall  of  the  year,  and  we  can  work  only  at  nights. 
Besides,  we  are  advancing  too  hastily;  the  next  thing 


THE  MOONBEAM   CLUB.  93 

to  be  done  is  to  arrange  the  days,  —  I  beg  pardon,  the 
nights." 

"Suppose  we  draw,"  said  Tom  Risley. 

"  That's  fair  and  square,"  agreed  the  Giant. 

Accordingly  the  names  of  the  days  of  the  week  were 
written  upon  slips  of  paper,  dropped  into  a  hat,  and  the 
boys  took  turns  drawing  them  out.  Then,  following  the 
Giant's  directions,  each  wrote  his  name  and  the  accom- 
panying words  "His  Night"  upon  the  folded  slips  of 
paper,  and  handed  them  over  to  Peter  Hop  wood  to  be 
arranged  and  read  aloud. 

"Monday,  William  Scott,  His  Night,"  read  Peter, 
amid  a  roar  of  laughter. 

"Very  good,"  said  the  Giant  soberly.     "Proceed." 

"  Tuesday,  John  Sedgwick,  His  Night." 

"  Ye  gods  and  little  fishes  ! "  exclaimed  John, 

"Wednesday,  Tom  Risley,  His  Night." 

Tom  gave  a  prolonged  whistle. 

"  Thursday,  Alexander  Brown,  His  Night." 

"  Glory  !  "  ejaculated  the  Aristocrat. 

"  Friday,  Singleton  Fields,  His  Night." 

" '  He  has  a  lean  and  hungry  look ;  he  thinks  too 
much,'"  quoted  Fields. 

"'That  Moonbeam's  dangerous,'"  concluded  the 
Giant.     "One  more;  read  her  out,  Peter." 

"Saturday,  Peter  Hopwood,  His  Night.  Well,  I'm 
last,"  cried  Peter  triumphantly. 

"Last  but  not  least;  eh,  Peter?"  inquired  Sandy 
Brown. 

"  I'll  do  what  I  can  for  the  organization,"  said  Peter, 
blushing  very  hard. 


94        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Giant,  "  what  comes  third  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  said  Peter. 

''  Perhaps  his  mother  will  let  him  go  into  long  pants 
third,"  said  Tom  Risley. 

But  the  Giant  ai'ose  to  liis  feet,  and  waved  away  all 
nonsense.  "  Monday,  William  Scott,  His  Night,  comes 
third,"  he  said,  "preceded  by  a  little  side-talk  with 
boys." 

The  other  five  Moonbeams  cheered  vociferously. 

"We  must  understand  the  matter  thoroughly,"  began 
the  Giant.  "  We  must  not  rush  into  the  thing  madly. 
The  Moonbeam  Club,  I  take  it,  is  a  sort  of  set-off  to  the 
famous  Sunbeam  Club,  established  on  a  certain  Sunday 
during  the  present  year  by  six  young  ladies  on  their 
wa}^  from  Sunday-school.  The  sun  coming  out  suddenly 
after  a  fierce  shower  was  the  cause  of  a  brilliant  mind 
proposing  the  organization.  The  Moonbeam  Club  has 
been  organized  on  a  rainy  day,  with  no  promise  wliatever 
of  clear  weather.  It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  the 
Moonbeams  will  have  to  start  to  work  on  ^Monday  in 
the  rain.  But  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  only  in- 
creased the  fervor  of  the  Sunbeams.  It  was  a  novel 
experience  to  Lovettsville  to  have  sunbeams  in  the  rain, 
but  it's  had  them.  Lovettsville  must  have  moonbeams, 
also,  in  the  rain  and  in  all  sorts  of  weather.  The  Moon- 
beams are  not  to  be  behind  the  Sunbeams." 

"Well,  I  know  one  thing,"  said  Singleton  Fields, 
"  we  none  of  us  can  sew." 

"  Speak  for  yourself,"  said  the  Giant ;  "  it's  a  very 
good  thing  for  a  fellow  to  know  how  to  sew." 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  95 

"When  Ave're  out  camping,  yes,"  said  Singleton, 
"but  not  to  sew  well  enough  to  teach  other  people. 
The  Sunbeams  taught  ever  so  many  people  how  to 
sew." 

"  So  tliey  did,"  said  the  Giant.     "  God  bless  'em  !  " 

"  We  can't  learn  to  knit,  either,"  said  John  Sedgwick. 
"  Hang  it,  fellows !  I  believe  girls  can  find  things  to 
do  easier  than  boys." 

"  The  Sunbeams  liad  to  do  a  tall  lot  of  thinking,  that 
I  know  for  a  fact,"  said  Peter. 

"  Think  of  Effie  Dorcus  reading  to  Mrs.  Kemp,"  said 
the  Aristocrat.  "  I  didn't  use  to  know  how  brave  girls 
are." 

"  Oh,  the  Sunbeams  have  done  wonders  ! "  said  Single- 
ton despondently. 

"  Cheer  up  !  "  said  the  Giant.  "  What  was  it  about 
old  Peter  Thorne  ?  Couldn't  we  do  something  of  that 
kind?" 

"No!"  thundered  the  rest  of  the  Moonbeams. 

"Why  not?"  demanded  the  Giant. 

"  They  f urnislied  the  old  fellow's  house  beautifully, 
and  they  had  a  poet  to  select  the  furniture  and  foot  the 
bill,"  said  Tom. 

"  And  they  went  to  the  daughter,  and  worked  on  her 
feelings  until  she  agreed  to  return  to  her  lonely  old 
father.  We  couldn't  do  anything  at  all  like  that,"  said 
Sandy. 

"We'd  make  a  muss  of  it,  sure,"  said  Singleton. 

"I  don't  know;  I  think  we  could  beat  the  carpets," 
said  the  Giant. 


06  SUNBEAMS  AXD  MOONBEAMS, 

"They  were  new,  and  didn't  need  beating,"  said 
Sedgwick. 

"  But  there's  plenty  of  other  things  to  be  done,"  said 
Peter. 

"What?"  demanded  Fields. 

"Shoals  of  things,"  said  Peter.  "I  tell  you,  those 
girls  had  to  think.  It  didn't  all  come  to  them  in  a 
minute." 

"No,"  said  Singleton  mournfully;  "they  had  the 
whole  of  the  vacation." 

"Well,"  said  the  Giant  cheerfully,  "we'll  have  Satur- 
day and  Sunday." 

"It's  no  use  to  begin  this  thing,"  said  Peter,  "unless 
we  intend  carrying  it  through.  Say,  fellows,  is  every 
one  in  for  it?" 

"I'd  like  to  be  told  what  to  do,"  said  Singleton. 

"You've  been  given  your  night,"  said  Peter.  "I 
don't  see  why  boys  should  be  more  stupid  than  girls." 

"  I  don't  see  it,  either,"  said  Singleton ;  "  but  some- 
times they  are." 

"  You're  in  the  High  School,  and  you're  to  graduate 
in  seven  months,"  said  Peter  severely. 

"Yes,  and  so  are  you,"  said  Singleton;  "and  you're 
in  short  pants." 

"  I  don't  care  if  I  am,"  retorted  Peter.  "  I'm  not 
afraid  that  I  can't  think  as  well  as  a  Sfirl." 

"  Would  you  carry  dessert  to  Mrs.  Windham  ?  "  asked 
Singleton. 

"  There  are  some  things  that  girls  can  do  better  than 
boys,  and  there  are  other  things  that  boys  can  do  better 
than  girls,"  returned  Peter. 


TUE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  97 

"Now  we're  getting  there,"  said  the  Giant. 

"  Whoever  wishes  to  belong  to  the  organization,  let 
him  hold  up  his  hand,"  cried  Peter  excitedly. 

Tlie  Giant  held  up  both  his  hands.  They  went  up 
so  high  that  the  other  boys  gave  a  shout,  and  threw 
theirs  up  too. 

"  We,  the  newly  organized  Moonbeam  Club,  do  sol- 
emnly affirm  that  we  will  exercise  our  wits  in  solving 
the  problem  of  what  boys  can  do  better  than  girls,  and 
cease  regretting  that  there  are  some  things  that  girls 
can  do  better  than  boys,"  cried  the  Giant,  still  with  his 
hands  uplifted. 

"We,  the  Moonbeam  Club  of  Lovettsville,"  cried 
Peter  Hopwood's  shrill  voice,  "  do  hereby  solemnly 
promise  that  each  boy  will  be  ready  on  his  specified 
night  to  tell  the  other  boys  what  they  will  liave  to  do 
on  that  night,  and  never,  under  any  circumstances,  will 
a  fellow  knock  out  the  whole  club  by  failing  to  put 
in  an  appearance." 

"  We,  the  Moonbeam  Club  of  Lovettsville,  set-off  to 
that  respected  organization,  the  Sunbeam  Club  of  Lov- 
ettsville, do  hereby  agree,  each  and  every  one  of  us,  to 
follow  implicitly  the  orders  of  the  boy  whose  night  it 
is,  and  never  cause  disturbance  in  the  organization  by 
murmuring  or  dissension,"  cried  the  Aristocrat. 

"  We,  the  Moonbeam  Club  of  Lovettsville,  do  hereby 
promise  to  work  faithfully  on  warm  and  cold  evenings, 
during  rain,  snow,  hail,  or  even  a  blizzard,  at  an}^  work 
assigned  by  the  boy  whose  night  it  may  be,"  said 
Singleton  cheerfully. 


98  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 

"  We,  the  Moonbeam  Club  of  Lovettsville,  liumble 
followers  of  the  successful  Sunbeams,  agree  to  give 
our  best  attention  to  the  thought  of  our  respective 
niofhts,"  declared  John  Sedo^wick. 

*'  We,  the  undersigned,  I  mean  the  Moonbeam  Club 
of  Lovettsville,"  cried  Tom  Risley,  ''  do  faithfully  prom- 
ise to  follow  all  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  organ- 
ization, to  appear  at  the  appointed  place  and  hour  on 
each  respective  night,  to  go  over  our  studies  first,  and 
always  be  in  a  cheerful  humor.  We,  the  undersigned 
voters,  I  mean  the  Moonbeam  Club  of  Lovettsville, 
do  also  solemnly  promise  to  do  our  level  best  to  make 
the  new  organization  as  successful  as  the  respected 
organization  already  in  our  midst,  the  Sunbeam  Club, 
bearing  in  mind  that  there  are  a  few  things  that  Moon- 
beams can  do  better  than  Sunbeams,  and  a  great  many 
things  that  Sunbeams  can  do  better  than  Moonbeams." 

"  To  all  of  these  resolutions  we  say  aye,"  cried  the 
Giant ;  and  the  rest  of  the  Moonbeams  echoed  "  Aye." 

"Now  we'll  give  three  cheers  for  the  Sunbeams," 
said  the  Giant. 

The  three  cheers  were  given  with  good  will.  After 
that  the  newly  organized  club  sat  down  very  properly 
at  the  school-desks ;  for  Mr.  Engler,  the  Principal,  had 
entered  the  room  and  tingled  the  bell,  wondering  at 
the  unusual  excitement  of  the  students  on  such  a  mis- 
erable afternoon. 

The  Moonbeams  did  a  good  deal  of  quiet  thinking 
during  the  days  intervening  between  the  organization 
of  the  club  and  the  first  propitious  night.     On  Monday 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  99 

five  words,  written  in  the  Giant's  handwriting,  were 
discovered  on  the  bkckboard.  They  were:  '' Monday, 
William  Scott,  His  Niglit."  Every  now  and  then  the 
Giant's  eyes  strayed  to  the  words  as  if  he  must  not  by 
any  manner  of  means  forget  their  import.  The  other 
Moonbeams,  looking  at  the  words,  found  themselves 
smiling  broadly.  What  was  the  Giant  going  to  do, 
and  order  them  to  do,  on  the  club's  first  working-night? 

''  Boys,"  said  Scott,  as  they  went  down  into  the  street 
at  noon,  "  we  have  neither  arranged  the  place  of  meet- 
ing nor  the  hour.  The  place  of  meeting  this  evening 
will  be  the  north  end  of  the  town,  the  extreme  north 
end,  and  the  hour"  — 

''  We  must  have  our  studies  over  first,  that's  in  the 
agreement,"  said  Singleton ;  and  then  he  added  thought- 
fully, as  if  impressing  it  upon  his  memory,  "  Extreme 
north  end  of  the  town." 

"We  leave  school  at  four  o'clock,"  said  the  Giant. 
"We  ought  to  be  able  to  do  all  our  studying  by  six. 
Then  we  eat  our  dinner.  I  think  we  might  meet  at  the 
appointed  place  at  seven  o'clock." 

"  Better  say  half-past,"  said  the  Aristocrat ;  "  every 
person  can't  learn  his  lessons  as  quickly  as  you.  Giant." 

The  Giant  gave  a  short  laugh,  regarded  the  Aristo- 
crat kindly,  and  fixed  the  time  of  meeting  at  half-past 
seven.  Another  boy  also  looked  at  Sandy.  It  was 
Singleton  Fields,  and  there  was  gratitude  shining  in  his 
eyes.  Alexander  Brown  studied  his  lessons  in  a  shorter 
time  than  any  student  in  the  graduating-class  at  the 
High   School,  but    Singleton   felt   only  admiration  as 


100        SUNBEAMS  AXD  MOONBEAMS, 

he  mutel}'  thanked  him  for  giving  him  an  extra  half- 
hour. 

"There's  no  use  in  wasting  precious  moments,"  said 
the  Giant,  a  smile  playing  about  his  mouth.  "  I  might 
as  well  tell  you  right  here  what  we're  to  do  to-night, 
and  what  you're  to  bring." 

"Bring?"  questioned  John  Sedgwick. 

"  Yes,  of  course,"  said  Tom  Risley.  "  The  Sunbeams 
had  to  take  brooms  and  things,  you  know,"  he  added. 

"  There  are  many  things  that  Sunbeams  can  do  better 
than  Moonbeams,"  said  Scott,  in  his  big  voice;  "but 
there  are  a  few  things  that  Moonbeams  can  do  better 
than  Sunbeams.  This  evening,  boys,  I  want  you  to 
bring  your  axes." 

"  Axes  I "  cried  the  Moonbeams. 

« 

"Yes,  and  hold  on —  you  had  better  not  reach  the 
place  of  appointment  on  this  special  evening  until  ei«^ht 
o'clock.  You've  got  a  job  to  perform  before  you  get 
there.  We're  not  going  to  be  mean  about  this  business. 
Bring  all  the  other  fellows  you  can  find ;  that  is,  each 
boy  must  invite  his  friends  who  are  willing  to  work. 
Each  guest  is  to  remember  his  axe,  or  stay  at  home. 
We  have  no  use  to-night  for  any  fellow  minus  an  axe. 
We're  going  to  cut  wood." 

"For  whom?"  demanded  the  listeninsf  Moonbeams. 

"For  everybody,"  said  the  Giant.  "But  there's  no 
use  going  into  particulars ;  you'll  be  given  further 
orders  to-nio^ht." 

"I  suppose  you've  engaged  your  friends  alread}-?" 
said  Singleton. 


THE  MOONBEAM    CLUB.  101 

"No,"  replied  the  Giant;  "there's  plenty  of  time." 

The  great  good-natured  fellow  walked  away  with  his 
hands  in  his  pockets ;  and  Alexander  Brown  said  in  a 
low  voice  to  John  Sedgwick,  "He'll  wait  till  that  last 
half-hour.  We  mio^ht  as  well  have  a  little  fun  alonor 
with  the  work.  Let's  go  in  with  the  others,  and  procure 
all  recruits  previous  to  the  last  half-hour." 

"  All  right,"  said  Sedgwick  briskly. 

The  Giant  was  smiling  to  himself  as  he  walked  on 
towards  home  and  his  midday  meal.  He  was  thinking 
of  flying  axes,  and  all  sorts  of  things,  as  he  sat  down 
opposite  his  mother  at  the  luncheon-table,  and  explained 
to  her  about  the  newlv  oro\anized  Moonbeam  Club,  and 
''Monday,  William  Scott,  His  Night." 


102       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS 


CHAPTER  II 

[HE  Giant's  the  most  level-headed  fellow  I 
ever  saw,"  declared  Peter  Hop  wood,  as  he 
and  young  Fields  rushed  along  the  streets 
directly  after  four  o'clock.  "I'd  be  in  a 
fever  if  the  first  night  were  mine,  and  I  had  to  set  the 
ball  rolling." 

"He's  been  reading  Greek  every  minute  of  recrea- 
tion," said  Singleton.  "  He  said  he  was  saving  up  his 
enerofies  for  the  evenino^." 

"Well,  we've  hauled  the  school  over  without  his 
knowledge,  that's  certain,  and  we'll  have  helpers  enough 
and  to  spare.  B}^  the  time  the  five  of  us  have  inter- 
viewed the  fellows  at  the  other  schools,  there  won't  be 
any  boys  or  axes  unengaged  in  Lovettsville.  Suppose 
we  study  our  lessons  together,  then  we  won't  have  to 
begin  right  away." 

"All  right,"  said  Singleton. 

"And  if  we  can't  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the 
Giant  hunting  for  his  laborers,  we'll  at  least  be  at  the 
appointed  place  to  meet  him  and  greet  him  without 
them." 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  Singleton. 

Altogether  unsuspicious  of  the  plot  against  him, 
William    Scott   quietly   went   over  his  lessons  in  the 


THE  M00yBEA:S[  CLUB,  103 

little  back  library  of  liis  home.  He  had  an  extraordi- 
narily good  mind,  and  the  lessons  for  the  next  day  did 
not  occupy  him  more  than  an  hour  ;  but  after  that  the 
Giant  went  to  work  on  a  mathematical  problem.  If 
there  was  one  study  in  which  the  boy  excelled,  it  was 
mathematics;  but  this  afternoon  he  sat  there  frowning 
over  the  example  before  him.  Suddenly  he  looked  up, 
pushed  the  hair  from  his  forehead,  and  called  "  Mother ! " 
loudly. 

''Well,  my  dear?"  inquired  Mrs.  Scott,  entering  the 
little  library,  and  sitting  down  beside  her  great  son. 

"I  want  you  to  help  me  with  my  lesson,  mother," 
said  the  Giant ;  and  then  the  two  of  them  laughed.  It 
had  been  a  long  time  since  Mrs.  Scott  had  been  called 
on  to  help  with  a  lesson. 

"  It's  mathematics,"  explained  the  Giant. 

"  It's  a  joke,  you  mean,"  said  Mrs.  Scott.  "  Mathe- 
matics is  not  one  of  my  strong  points.  Will." 

*'  Tell  me  the  names  of  some  of  the  Lovettsville  fam- 
ilies who  ought  to  have  their  wood  cut,"  said  the 
boy. 

"  Oh ! "  cried  Mrs.  Scott ;  "  there's  little  Miss  Meredith. 
She  has  the  greatest  kind  of  a  time  getting  her  wood 
cut;  and  there  are  the  Grahams  —  the  husband  is  ill. 
It  will  be  a  charity  to  cut  wood  for  those  people,  my 
son." 

"  Only  don't  use  the  word  charity,  mother  dear," 
said  the  Giant.  "  Wc  don't  allow  it  in  the  organiza- 
tion ;  it's  too  often  had  the  word  cold  before  it,  applica- 
bly  applied.    Say  a  work  of  brotherly  love,  or  something 


104  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

like  that."  Then  the  Giant  wrote  down  the  two  names, 
and  called  for  more. 

"  But,  my  dear  boy,  you  already  have  quite  a  long 
list  of  names,"  said  the  Giant's  mother;  "and  Mr.  Hurt 
is  among  the  number.     Mr.  Hurt  is  very  well  off,  Will." 

"It  isn't  charity,  mother,"  said  the  Giant  impres- 
sively. "  Some  of  the  owners  of  these  names  would 
refuse  to  let  us  cut  wood  if  we  were  only  cutting  it  for 
the  poor  of  Lovettsville.  We  are  doing  the  work  for 
exercise ;  we  can  say  to  these  people  that  Mr.  Hurt  has 
let  us  cut  wood  for  him,  don't  you  see  ?  " 

"  Yes,  dear,  I  see,"  said  his  mother  softly. 

"There,  I've  put  down  Mrs.  Windham's  name  also. 
She'll  understand,"  said  the  Giant. 

"How  man}^  names  do  you  want?  "  asked  Mrs.  Scott. 

"'Eighteen.  Each  of  the  six  of  us  is  to  head  a  party  ; 
boys  are  plentiful  in  Lovettsville,  and  this  will  be  a 
sort  of  lark.  Eighteen  places  will  allow  half  an  hour  at 
each  place  with  plenty  of  time  to  get  round.  I  intend 
to  arrange  matters  so  that  we  won't  have  any  long 
distances  to  get  over.  Wouldn't  Sally  Free  like  to 
have  her  wood  cut,  mother  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Scott ;  "  and  so  would  Nancy 
Ott  and  poor  old  Simon  Cooper." 

Sally  Free,  Nancy  Ott,  and  Simon  Cooper  were 
immediately  w^ritten  upon  the  Giant's  paper. 

"Three  more,  mother,"  said  William,  "and  then  I 
can  continue  the  example  alone." 

"  Mrs.  Snell  is  very  poor,  but  she  is  proud ;  and  she 
won't  be  at  all  grateful,"  said  Mrs.  Scott. 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  105 

''  Down  she  goes,"  said  the  Giant. 

"Mrs.  Lisner  is  well  off ;  but  she  hates  to  pay  a  man, 
and  her  daughter  almost  freezes." 

"  For  the  daughter's  sake  down  she  goes,"  said  the 
Giant. 

"And  Polly  Adams,  she  is  desperately  poor." 

"Polly  Adams,"  wrote  the  Giant.  "Thank  you, 
mother  dear." 

But  Mrs.  Scott  was  looking  at  her  big  boy  and  laugh- 
ing. 

"Well?"  he  inquired. 

"  Don't  you  think,  son,  that  some  of  you  kind-hearted 
boys  ought  to  look  after  the  home  woodpiles  a  little? 
It's  charity  that  begins  at  home,  I  know ;  but  I'm  sure 
it  isn't  cold  charity." 

"  The  Giant  sprang  to  his  feet,  caught  his  mother  in 
his  arms  and  kissed  her.  "Every  boy  shall  wind  up 
with  a  turn  at  his  mother's  woodpile,  thanks  to  my 
own  little  mother's  nice  way  of  putting  a  thing,"  he 
said. 

It  was  not  until  some  time  after  the  Giant  had  eaten 
his  dinner  that  he  went  strolling  out  to  pick  up  his 
help.     He  had  exactly  half  an  hour  for  this  work. 

He  had  imagined  that  he  would  not  find  the  streets 
destitute  of  boys  at  such  an  early  hour,  but  no  matter 
Avhat  direction  he  took  for  some  little  time  he  met  no 
boys.  Then,  suddenly,  he  came  upon  one  hurrying 
around  a  corner. 

"  Hello !  "  said  the  Giant.  "  Anything  special  on 
hand  this  evening  ?  " 


106       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 

"  Got  an  engagement,"  returned  the  boy  curtly. 

"  Well,  I  guess  I  can  pick  up  a  dozen  or  so  at  the 
post-office,"  thought  the  Giant,  not  at  all  worried.  But 
he  met  with  no  success  at  the  post-office.  Every  boy 
who  was  there  after  the  mail  beorored  to  be  excused  from 
helping  the  Giant  to  cut  wood  ;  every  one  of  them  Iiad 
a  previous  engagement. 

When  the  Giant  left  the  post-office  he  saw  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street  a  boy  belonging  to  the  High 
School,  and  he  called  to  him  by  name.  Evidently  the 
boy  did  not  hear  or  understand  ;  for  he  continued  walk- 
ing quickly  up  the  street,  and  finally  broke  into  a  run. 

*'  He's  getting  along  at  a  fine  rate  of  speed,"  said  the 
Giant,  "but  I  can  run  too;  I'm  not  afraid  of  being  left 
in  the  lurch." 

"  Jimmy  Rush,"  he  roared,  putting  a  hand  down 
heavily  upon  the  boy's  shoulder,  and  holding  him  fast ; 
"  wait  a  bit,  will  you  ?  " 

"  I'm  in  a  hurry,"  said  Jimmy. 

*'  So  am  I,"  said  the  Giant. 

"  I've  got  to  get  on,  I  tell  you,"  said  Jimmy. . 

"  Nobody  ill  at  home  ?  "  inquired  the  Giant,  loosening 
his  grasp. 

''  No,"  said  Jimmy,  with  a  glimmer  of  amusement  in 
his  eyes. 

''  Oh !  "  said  the  Giant  dryly ;  "  got  an  engagement, 
I  suppose?" 

"Yes,"  said  Jimmy. 

The  Giant  let  the  boy  go,  stepped  back  to  a  street- 
lamp,  and  looked  at  his  watch.     "  I've  wasted  seventeen 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  107 

minutes,"  he  said ;  "  and  I  declare  I'm  out  of  breath. 
Hang  the  Lovettsville  fellows  and  their  engagements! 
They've  heard  about  the  wood,  and  they're  putting  on 
airs.  Well,  I've  got  to  get  to  the  north  end  of  the 
town  by  eight  o'clock,  and  I  mustn't  forget  to  stop  at 
the  store  and  buy  an  axe." 

The  pale  light  of  the  moon  was  beginning  to  mingle 
with  the  lamp-light  in  the  streets  of  Lovettsville.  "It's 
a  jolly  night  to  cut  wood,"  thought  the  Giant;  "but 
I'm  afraid  I'll  have  to  cut  down  the  example  a  little. 
I  thought  the  fellows  would  jump  at  the  exercise." 

Then,  suddenly,  as  he  was  striding  along,  he  caught 
sight  of  a  little  child's  face  at  a  brilliantly  lighted 
window.  The  face  belonged  to  Willie  Scott,  the  son  of 
a  Lovettsville  druggist. 

"  Hello,  namesake ! "  said  William,  looking  in  and 
smiling. 

The  child  smiled  back  at  him. 

"  Hanor  it !  I  have  an  idea,"  said  the  Giant.  He 
gave  a  whistle,  and  went  close  to  the  window.  "  Hello, 
buster  !  "  he  called. 

The  child  raised  the  window.  "Hello,  sir ! "  he  cried 
back. 

"  I'm  in  a  pickle,"  said  the  Giant.  "  I'm  after  some- 
body to  help  me  out.  I'm  going  to  cut  wood  —  for  ex- 
ercise, you  understand?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  think  I  do,"  said  the  small  boy. 

"  Well,  you're  m}-  namesake.  Don't  you  think  you 
might  help  me  out  ?  " 

"I'd  like   to  very    nuich,"  returned  the  small  boy; 


108       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"but  I  don't  think  I  could  cut  wood.  I'm  going  to  a 
doctor  in  the  city,  and  he  says  in  good  time  I'll  be  able 
to  walk,  but  just  now  I  have  to  use  a  crutch  even  in  the 
house  ;  and  he  didn't  say  anything  about  cutting  wood. 
You're  Mr.  William  Scott  who  goes  to  the  High  School, 
aren't  3'ou  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  William  Scott,  "  and  having  the  same 
name  it  seems  to  me  that  you  ought  to  be  willing  to 
help  me.     Wouldn't  3^ou  like  to  be  my  fice-dog?" 

"  I  guess  I  would,"  said  Willie ;  "  but  I  don't  know 
exactly  what  it  means." 

The  Giant  laughed  good-humoredly.  "  You  see," 
he  explained,  "  I  expected  a  lot  of  fellows  to  help  me 
cut  wood,  —  for  exercise,  you  know,  —  and  they've  dis- 
appointed me  by  not  turning  up.  Now,  if  I  had  a  fice- 
dog,  a  little  fellow  like  you,  for  instance,  to  nag  me,  to 
make  me  work,  to  order  me  to  cut  harder  and  faster, 
I  might  be  able  to  do  a  powerful  lot  of  work  all  alone." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  child  thoughtfully,  "  'cause  you're 
pretty  big." 

"Don't  you  think  you  might  be  my  fice-dog?" 

"  If  mamma  would  let  me." 

"Run  quick  and  ask  3'our  mamma." 

"I'll  tell  her  that  you're  William  Scott,  the  big  boy 
who  goes  to  the  High  School,  and  that  I'm  to  be  your 
fice-dog-.     Bat  you're  no  kin  to  me,  are  a'ou?" 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  the  Giant.  "  Say, 
there's  j^our  mamma  coming  after  us  for  having  the 
window  open.     Good-evening,  Mrs.  Scott." 

Three   minutes  later  the   fice-dog,  bundled   up  in  a 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  109 

most  marvellous  manner,  was  on  the  back  of  the  Giant, 
clinging  hard  to  his  neck. 

"You're  all  right,"  said  the  Giant.  "You're  not 
afraid?     You  won't  mind  if  I  run?" 

"No,"  cried  the  happy  child. 

Only  once  did  William  Scott  pause  in  that  delightful 
rush  for  the  north  end  of  Lovettsville ;  then  he  darted 
into  a  store,  and  called  imjoeratively  for  an  axe. 

One  minute  after  eight  the  Giant  arrived  at  the  place 
of  appointment,  panting  hard. 

"  What  a  lot  of  hoys !  "  cried  Willie  Scott ;  and  the 
Giant,  comprehending  the  joke  played  upon  him,  joined 
uproariously  in  the  laugh. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  bringing  a  fellow  without 
an  axe,"  demanded  Peter  Hopwood. 

"I'm  his  fice-dog,"  explained  the  little  cripple,  lean- 
ing his  head  confidingly  upon  the  Giant's  shoulder,  and 
staring  hard  at  the  crowd. 

Then  in  the  light  of  the  street-lamp  the  mathematical 
paper  was  produced,  and  the  boys  were  quickly  counted 
off,  and  divided  into  six  parties.  There  were  eleven  or 
twelve  bo3^s  in  each  party.  Each  Moonbeam  was  fur- 
nished with  the  names  of  three  people  to  whom  he  was 
to  apply  for  the  privilege  of  reducing  the  pile  of  uncut 
wood.  Then  the  Giant  gravely  regarded  the  smiling 
faces  about  him.  "Sixty -nine  boys,"  he  said,  "all 
willing  and  eager  to  cut  wood  for  exercise.  I  didn't 
expect  such  a  number  to  be  waiting  orders.  I  intended 
each  party  to  give  a  half  hour  to  the  woodpiles  named, 
but  twenty  minutes  will  suffice.     At  the  end  of  the 


110  SUNBEAMS  AXD  MOONBEAMS. 

exercise  among  our  neighbors,  let  each  boy  see  that  his 
mother's  woodpile  looks  as  it  ought  to  look,  as  it  has  a 
right  to  look,  with  a  bo}'  and  an  axe  on  the  premises." 

"Three  cheers  for  the  Giant  and  his  night!"  roared 
the  boys. 

After  those  rousing  cheers  the  ]\Ioonbeams  set  off 
briskly  upon  the  novel  expeditions. 

It  was  the  Giant  and  his  party  who  cut  wood  for  Mrs. 
Snell.  To  all  outward  appearances  Mrs.  Snell  was  not 
at  all  grateful.  She  said,  yes,  if  they  wanted  to  cut 
wood  for  exercise,  they  might  do  it,  but  they'd  find  it 
a  mighty  hard  lot  of  wood ;  and  she  said,  yes,  the  little 
lame  boy  might  be  brought  into  the  house,  and  he  could 
hammer  on  the  panes  all  he  wanted  to,  though  she  didn't 
see  any  sense  in  "no  such  doin's." 

"I'm  the  fice-dog,"  explained  the  little  lame  boy; 
"  and  when  I  thump  on  the  window  it  will  make  the 
boys  cut  wood  the  faster.  The  big  boy  brought  me 
along  to  help."  But  for  awhile  the  fice-dog  was  very 
mute  as  he  pressed  his  face  against  the  window,  won- 
derincr  how  the  bovs  could  make  their  axes  fly  in  such 
a  bewildering  fashion. 

''  Your  little  woodpile  is  getting  to  be  a  big  wood- 
pile, Mrs.  Snell,"  he  said,  after  awhile.  '-Aren't  you 
glad?" 

"I  don't  know  as  I'm  partic'lar  glad,"  returned  Mrs. 
Snell.     "  I  suppose  I'll  burn  more  wood  *n  I  oughta." 

"  They  call  that  big  boy  the  Giant,"  said  the  little 
cripple.  "  He  let  me  ride  here  on  his  back.  He's 
a  mighty  nice  boy.    His  name  is  William  Scott,  and  my 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  Ill 

name  is  William  Scott;  but  I  don't  think  we're  any 
kin." 

"  It's  a  good  thing  to  be  big  and  strong,"  said  Mrs. 
Snail. 

'^  Yes,"  said  Willie  Scott,  "it's  a  good  thing.  The 
doctor  says  that  some  day  I'll  be  big  and  strong.  He 
says  I'll  be  able  to  walk  all  right  pretty  soon  now." 

"  Good  lands  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Snell,  "  can't  you  walk  all 
right  ?  Oh,  I  know  who  you  are  now !  you're  the  drug- 
gist's boy,  who  never  has  been  able  to  walk.  What 
made  them  fellers  bring  you  along  to-night?" 

"That  big  boy  asked  me  to  help,"  said  Willie;  "and 
I  can  help  too.  I'm  his  fice-dog."  He  pounded  fiercely 
upon  the  window.  "That's  to  make  them  cut  you  a 
great  big  pile  of  wood." 

"  Land  sakes  I  "  ejaculated  Mrs.  Snell. 

The  fice-dog  pounded  the  window  again. 

"  I  never  seen  such  a  powerful  woodpile,"  said  Mrs. 
Snell.  "I'm  feered  I'll  burn  twice  as  much  as  I  oughta. 
There's  twelve  boys  at  work.  They  must  be  wantin' 
exercise  pretty  bad,  I'm  thinkin'." 

"  Yes,  I  reckon  they  want  it  pretty  bad,"  agreed  the 
fice-dog. 

Then  the  wood-cutting  ceased  suddenly,  and  the  Giant 
came  into  the  little  room.  Mrs.  Snell,  of  her  own  ac- 
cord, helped  the  fice-dog  upon  the  boy's  broad  back,  and 
said  "  Good-evenin',"  bluntly,  unaccompanied  by  any 
words  of  thanks.  But  she  went  around  to  the  front 
of  her  house,  and  watched  that  lively  party  of  boys  as 
they  crossed  the  street  and  disappeared  from  sight. 


112  su^'^BEA^IS  and  moonbeams. 

The  lively  party  went  up  an  alley-way  brilliantly 
lighted  by  the  moon,  and  entered  Mrs.  Rupert's  by  the 
back  way.  A  petition  was  sent  in  to  the  mistress  to 
let  the  Lovettsville  boys  exercise  a  little  at  her  wood- 
pile ;  and  the  fice-dog  was  handed  over  to  the  care  of 
the  parlor-maid  with  injunctions  that  he  be  assisted  to 
the  back  porch  every  five  minutes,  from  which  point 
he  was  to  shout  at  them  with  all  his  lungs. 

"  Now  where  are  we  going?  "  demanded  Willie  Scott, 
as  the  party  left  Mrs.  Rupert's  by  the  moonlighted  alley. 

*'  To  Simon  Cooper's,"  answered  the  Giant. 

"  Oh,  I  know  him  I  "  cried  Willie  Scott.  "  He  sells 
apples  on  the  streets ;  and  he  has  a  whole  lot  of  people 
living  with  him,  —  a  wife  and  a  daughter  and  seven 
grandchildren,  and  other  people  besides.  He  told  me 
all  about  it.  I'm  so  glad  you're  going  to  cut  wood  for 
him,  because  he's  been  cutting  wood  for  over  sixty  years, 
and  he  just  hates  it.     I  guess  he  must  be  awful  tired." 

"  You  must  see  that  we  cut  him  a  tremendous  pile," 
said  the  Giant. 

"I  will,"  said  the  fice-doof.  "And  I  won't  ^o  in  the 
house.     I'll  stay  out  in  the  wood-shed  with  Simon." 

Simon  Cooper  gladly  resumed  his  day's  clothing  to 
welcome  the  wood-cutters,  and  chuckled  most  heartily 
over  their  offer.  He  placed  Willie  Scott  in  comfortable 
quarters  by  his  side  in  the  wood-shed. 

"I'm  the  fice-dog,"  explained  the  little  cripple. 
"  That  big  boy  told  me  to  see  that  they  cut  you  a  tre- 
mendous pile  of  wood.  "  Hurry  up  !  Hurry  up  I  Hurry 
up  I "  screamed  the  fice-dog,  clapping  his  hands. 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  113 

"  How'd  this  be  for  the  work  under  a  fice-dog  ?  "  in- 
quired Simon.  The  old  fellow  rose,  and  taking  hold  of 
an  unwieldy  log  dragged  it  out  to  the  Giant.  "I'll 
give  'em  around  to  'em,"  he  said  to  Willie;  "them's  the 
hardest  pieces ;  they  most  break  my  back.  I've  been 
cuttin'  wood  for  nearly  seventy  years,  but  them  stumps 
most  floors  me  every  time." 

"They  won't  floor  that  big  boy,"  said  the  fice-dog, 
regarding  the  Giant  with  admiring  eyes. 

"  I  never  see  sech  a  pile  o'  wood  as  that'n,"  said 
Simon,  " 'ceptin'  at  a  hotel.  Ain't  you  most  played 
out,  boys?" 

"You  musn't  talk  to  them  that  way,"  said  the  little 
fice-dog.  "You  mustn't  interrupt  them  while  they're 
working." 

"  You  be  a  good  one  for  to  carry  along,"  said  the  old 
man.  "  But  I  must  go  into  the  house,  and  hunt  around 
for  an  apple  apiece." 

The  apples  were  handed  to  the  boys  after  the  twenty 
minutes  were  over ;  and  they  received  them  gratefully, 
and  went  off  laughing  and  happy  with  their  gleaming 
axes  over  their  shoulders. 

"Now,  boys,  home  to  your  mothers'  woodpiles,  and 
then  good  dreams  to  you,"  cried  the  Giant. 

"Good  luck  to  your  mother's  woodpile,  and  good 
dreams  to  you,  Giant,"  called  back  the  boys  ;  "  and  good 
dreams  to  your  fice-dog." 

"Sleepy,  little  fice-dog?"  inquired  the  Giant.  "I'll 
give  you  back  to  your  mamma  pretty  soon  now.  You 
helped  amazingly.  Another  moonlight  night,  maybe, 
you'll  want  to  come  out  again." 


114       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  child.     "  Mr.  Scott "  — 

''Well?" 

"  I  believe  we  are  some  kin." 

"  Shouldn't  wonder,"  said  the  Giant. 

Upon  this  eventful  night  the  Sunbeam  Club  sat 
together  in  Mrs.  Hilton's  parlor. 

"Yes,  the  High-school  boys  have  formed  a  club," 
explained  Madge.  "They  asked  me  to  tell  you  all 
about  it.  They  say  they  are  not  rivals,  only  humble 
followers.  They're  out  to-night,  cutting  wood.  They 
call  themselves  the    Moonbeams.     Isn't  it  delicious?" 

"Delicious  !  "  echoed  the  others. 

"Whose  night  is  it?"  asked  Effie. 

"  William  Scott's,  and  to-morrow  w^ill  be  John  Sedg- 
wick's." 

"  Oh ! "  cried  Carrie  Offutt,  "  I  wonder  what  John 
Sedofwick  will  think  of." 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  115 


CHAPTER  III. 

TELL  you  what,  fellows,  talk  about  fall 
indeed,  it's  winter,"  cried  Peter  Hopwood, 
entering  the  schoolroom,  and  closing  the 
door  quickly  behind  him.     ''  It's  going  to 
snow.     Cracked  your  brain  yet,  Johnny?" 

"  Oh,  my  brain  is  in  pretty  fair  condition ! "  replied 
Sedgwick  calmly. 

''  I  hope  you've  provided  for  snow  and  rain,  and  such 
things,"  said  Singleton. 

''  And  blizzards,"  said  Peter. 

"  I  thought  we  provided  for  everything  in  the  resolu- 
tions," returned  John. 

"  So  we  did,"  said  the  Giant ;  "  and  we're  not  going 
to  back  out  of  the  resolutions,  come  what,  come  may." 

"  Sedgwick  is  looking  pretty  pale  for  a'  that,"  said 
the  Aristocrat  musingly.  ^' Don't  let  it  be  the  dessert 
racket  if  you  love  us,  mon  afni^ 

The  boys  of  the  graduating-class  poked  fun  at  John 
Sedgwick  without  intermission  until  the  morning  exer- 
cises began;  and  at  noon  two  of  them  accompanied 
him  along  the  street,  hoping  sympathetically  that  he'd 
have  a  good  appetite  for  his  luncheon,  and  that  he'd 
remember  the  resolutions,  and  endeavor  not  to  play  out 
before  night. 


116       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  Just  you  Avait  till  to-morrow,"  said  John,  shaking 
his  fist  at  them  from  the  shelter  of  the  home  doorwa}-. 
"It'll  all  be  over  with  me.  Somebody  else  will  be  quak- 
incr  in  his  boots  to-morrow." 

"Well,  it  won't  be  this  humble  servant,"  said  the 
Aristocrat. 

" '  There's  many  a  slip  'twixt  the  cup  and  the  lip,' " 
quoted  Risley. 

"  Have  you  divulged  your  noble  plan  of  operation  to 
your  parents,  Johnny  ?  "  asked  the  Aristocrat. 

"  Go  'long  and  eat  your  lunch,"  returned  Johnny. 

"Are  they  proud  of  their  offspring,  Johnny?"  in- 
quired Tom. 

"  Fiddlesticks  !  "  cried  John,  slamming  impolitely  the 
door  on  his  tormentors. 

"  I  wonder  wliat  he  has  thought  of,  anyway,"  said  the 
Aristocrat.  "I  tell  you  wliat,  Risley,  it  requires  wits 
to  think." 

"  Yes,  said  Tom  thoughtfully ;  "  especially  since  the 
Giant's  had  the  wood-cutting.  Anybody  might  have 
thouofht  of  wood-cuttinor-." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  returned  the  Aristocrat. 
"I  think  the  Giant  deserves  considerable  credit." 

"  Well,  it's  going  to  rain  or  snow  or  something,"  said 
Tom.  "I  trust  poor  Sedgwick  hasn't  gone  and  con- 
ceived some  novel  entertainment  for  a  moonlight  night. 
He'd  be  apt  to  get  the  brain-fever  if  he'd  have  to  think 
it  all  over." 

But  it  was  neither  raining  nor  snowing,  it  was  simply 
a   disagreeable   evening,  when  the   boys,  according  to 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  117 

John  Sedgwick's  orders,  imparted  to  them  directly  after 
school,  gathered  at  Mrs.  Sedgwick's  to  hear  and  discuss 
the  plan  of  action. 

"In  the  first  place,  it's  not  wood-cutting,"  began 
John. 

"  I  should  hope  not !  "  cried  Peter.  "  We  had  that 
yesterday." 

"It's  nothing  at  all  like  wood-cutting,"  John  con- 
tinued. "I  don't  know  whether  you  fellows  will  be 
in  for  it  or  not." 

*'  We  are  in  for  it  whether  we're  in  for  it  or  not," 
said  the  Giant.  "  We  can't  be  not  in  for  it  and  remain 
true  to  the  resolutions." 

"  Well,"  began  John  again,  flushing  a  little,  "  you 
fellows  all  know  about  Steve  Roberts." 

"I  don't,"  cried  Peter.  "What's  the  matter  with 
him  ?  " 

"  I  saw  him  yesterday,  and  he  looked  all  right,"  de- 
clared the  Aristocrat. 

"  Oh,  he  is  all  right !  "  said  John  quickly. 

"And  all  wrong  too,  perhaps  ?  "  hazarded  the  Giant. 

"  Well,  I  thouofht  and  thouo-ht  and  tlioucrht  —  about 
my  night,  you  know,"  said  John  ;  "  but,  bless  me  !  not 
another  thing  could  I  think  of  but  Steve  Roberts." 

"  So  you  have  gone  back  on  the  resolutions  then?  " 
cried  Peter  wrathfully. 

"Hold  on,"  said  the  Giant,  "let  the  fellow  talk 
who's  got  the  night.  He  has  as  much  right  to  think 
about  Steve  Roberts  as  anybody  else." 

"  Not  on  his  night,"  said  Peter  sulkily. 


118        SUNBEAMS  AXD  MOONBEAMS. 

"Who's  going  back  on  his  resolution  now,  Hop- 
wood?"  inquired  Singleton. 

"Nobod}^,"  said  Peter,  clearing  off.  "I'm  not 
mad." 

"  Only  deeply  interested  in  the  matter,  eh?"  inquired 
the  Aristocrat. 

"  Order  !  "  roared  the  Giant. 

"  This  is  my  plan,"  said  Sedgwick,  bravely  facing 
his  fellow-students.  "  Steve  Roberts,  as  you  all  know, 
failed  to  pass  the  last  examination  on  account  of  mathe- 
matics. He  was  even  with  us  in  everything  else.  He'd 
be  in  the  graduating-class  at  the  High  School  now,  and 
he  wouldn't  be  the  dullest  fellow  among  us,  either,  if  it 
were  not  for  the  mathematics." 

"But  he's  got  his  mathematics,"  said  Peter.  "I 
don't  see  any  daylight  yet." 

"Hush!"  ordered  the  Aristocrat;  "we're  not  seek- 
ing daylight." 

"  Let  the  fellow  talk  whose  night  it  is,"  said  the 
Giant  again. 

"I've  been  thinking,"  continued  Sedgwick,  "that  it 
wouldn't  be  a  bad  idea  for  us  to  go  over  to  Roberts's 
this  evening,  and  propose  getting  up  a  mathematical 
class  among  ourselves,  you  know.  It  would  be  good 
for  every  one  of  us,  and  it  wouldn't  be  bad  for  Steve. 
If  he  were  pushed  a  little  in  mathematics  there's  no 
reason  in  the  w^orld  why  he  shouldn't  pass  the  next 
examination;  and  graduate  with  us  in  the  end." 

"  Only  it  would  be  a  little  unorthodox,  wouldn't  it?  " 
inquired  the  Giant. 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  119 

"  The  Principal  says  he  can  graduate  if  he  passes  the 
examination,"  returned  Sedgwick. 

"  Then,  it's  a  pretty  good  idea,"  said  the  Giant  ap- 
provingly. 

"Well,  a  little  more  mathematics  won't  hurt  me," 
said  Singleton  cheerfully. 

"  Nor  me  !  nor  me  !  "  echoed  the  Moonbeams. 

"  It's  an  excellent  plan,  Johnny,"  said  the  Aristo- 
crat. "  We'll  elect  Steve  president  of  the  Moonbeam 
Club  when  he  gets  through  the  examination." 

"What  will  we  do  about  that?"  asked  Peter  anx- 
iously. "There's  seven  nights  in  a  week,  to  be  sure; 
but  we  can  only  work  on  six  of  them." 

"And  we've  decided  not  to  elect  a  president,"  said 
Singleton. 

"  Roberts  shall  be  appointed  judge,"  said  the  Giant. 

"  All  right ;  nobody  can  kick  at  being  made  a  judge," 
said  Peter. 

"I  should  say  not,"  cried  Risley.  "The  fellow  will 
never  have  to  think." 

"  Lucky  Moonbeam  !  "  murmured  the  Giant. 

"  I  tell  you  what,"  said  Peter  suddenly  ;  "  it's  a  very 
excellent  plan,  and  all  that,  but  more  persons  in  this 
world  than  you  and  I  and  Steve  Roberts  will  have  to 
sanction  it  before  the  weekly  lessons  begin.  Did  you 
think  of  Steve's  grandmother,  John  ?  " 

"  What  for?  "  demanded  John. 

"  What  for,  indeed  !  "  retorted  Peter.  "  Why,  she's 
a  mighty  cranky  old  lady,  that's  what  for.  You  needn't 
feel  at  all  sure  she's  going  to  welcome  a  lot  of  fellows 


120       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

to  her  home  every  Tuesday.  And  the  old  man's  worse 
than  she.  You  didn't  think  to  ask  the  old  man  any- 
thing about  it,  did  you  ?  " 

"No,"  returned  Sedgwick. 

"  Roberts's  grandparents  are  not  going  to  eat  us  up," 
said  the  Giant.     "  Suppose  we  move  along,  fellows." 

But  the  boys  hung  back. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  Sedgwick  had  better  step 
around  to  Steve's  and  arrange  matters  before  we  all 
go  in  on  the  family,"  said  Singleton.  "  Everybody's 
got  to  see  to  things  on  his  own  night." 

"  Come  along,  John,  I'll  see  you  through,"  said  the 
Giant. 

But  the  Aristocrat  interfered. 

"  You'd  scare  the  wits  out  the  old  lady,  Scott,"  he 
said.  "  Better  let  her  agree  willingly  rather  than  by 
compulsion.  She  wouldn't  dare  to  say  no  to  a  fellow 
a  yard  taller  than  herself." 

"Well,  I'm  not  in  the  habit  of  scaring  ladies  out  of 
their  wits,"  said  the  Giant ;  but  he  laughed  good-humor- 
edly  and  sat  down. 

"Somebody's  got  to  go  with  me,"  declared  John. 

"  Take  Peter,"  cried  a  chorus  of  Moonbeams. 

"  You'd  better  hurry,"  said  Singleton,  "  or  you'll  find 
them  in  bed." 

"  Yes,  come  along,"  said  Peter.  "  The  old  man  goes 
to  bed  with  the  chickens." 

"Well,  Steve  doesn't,"  said  Sedgwick,  as  the  two 
started  out.  "He  sits  up  late  studying.  I  say,  Hop- 
wood,  is  it  snowing?  " 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  121 

"  Not  quite,"  canswered  Peter ;  "  it's  just  getting  ready 
for  Rislej^'s  night." 

The  boys  walked  along  in  silence,  the  wind  rushing 
about  them,  turned  up  a  side  street,  and  by  and  by  came 
to  a  little  house  standing  back  in  a  yard.  A  light  shone 
from  the  front  windows  of  the  lower  floor. 

"  There  !  "  cried  Sedgwick  triumphantly ;  "  you  see, 
anyway,  they  haven't  gone  to  bed." 

"I  don't  feel  at  all  sure  about  the  old  man,"  said 
Peter ;  ''  and  I  wouldn't  like  to  wake  him." 

''What's  the  matter  with  you?"  demanded  Sedg- 
wick.    "  What  are  you  halting  for  ?  " 

"It  isn't  my  night,"  said  Peter.  "I've  come  with 
you  very  cheerfully,  but  I  prefer  to  wait  here  at  the 
gate.  You  see,  Sedgwick,  you  rushed  into  this  thing 
with  no  knowledge  whatever  of  Steve's  grandparents, 
or  how  they'd  take  it,  or  anything." 

"  Pshaw  !  "  said  Sedgwick ;  "  I  know  enough  about 
them  to  make  me  wish  most  heartily  to  give  a  helping 
hand  to  Steve.  I  know  that  they're  old  and  poor,  and 
that  Steve's  got  to  take  care  of  them." 

"  All  that  sounds  very  well,"  said  Peter ;  "  but  I've 
heard  a  thing  or  two  about  the  old  lady.  She's  no 
angel,  I  can  tell  you.  What  are  you  going  to  do  if  she 
tells  you  we  can't  come? " 

"I  thought  it  was  you  who  proposed  organizing  tlie 
Moonbeam  Club,"  said  Sedgwick  curtly. 

"  So  it  was,"  said  Peter;  "but  I  didn't  organize  your 
night." 

"  Come  along  to  the  door,  anyway.     Imagine  you're 


122  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

a  Sunbeam  and  gather  courage.  She'll  think  we're 
tramps  if  she  catches  sight  of  you  hanging  over  the 
gate." 

"  It  isn't  my  night,"  said  Peter  stubbornly.  *'  Good 
luck  to  you  ! ' ' 

John  Sedgwick  advanced  to  the  door  of  the  little 
house,  and  rang  the  bell.  The  old  man  answered  the 
bell,  and  the  boy  went  into  the  house. 

Then  through  a  window  the  tramp,  left  leaning  over 
the  gate,  beheld  four  figures  in  the  front-room,  —  the 
grandparents  of  Roberts,  the  little  old  lady  sitting  with 
her  back  to  him  ;  the  old  man  standing  by  the  mantel ; 
Steve  extending  his  hand  to  John  Sedgwick. 

"  Going  to  sit  down,"  muttered  Peter.  "  Well,  that's 
cool,  considering  I'm  out  here  in  the  wind  waiting. 
Glory !  I'm  thankful  I  am  outside,"  he  added  a  minute 
later;  "the  old  lady's  giving  it  to  Sedgwick,  shaking 
her  head  in  the  spitefulest  kind  of  a  way ;  telling  him, 
no  doubt,  that  Steve  knows  as  much  mathematics  as  the 
rest  of  us,  even  if  he  didn't  pass.  The  old  man's  join- 
ing in  the  squabble.  Well,  when  a  fellow  makes  up  his 
mind  to  rush  into  a  thing  without  listening  to  a  word 
of  reason  or  advice,  it's  just  as  well  for  him  to  meet  his 
deserts  from  all  hands.  If  he'd  selected  some  dull  fellow 
in  one  of  the  lower  classes,  the  thing  would  have  been 
sensible  enough.  I  hope  when  I  get  to  thinking  about 
my  night,  nothing  like  Steve  Roberts  will  fill  my  brain 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  rational  subjects.  Now  she's  tell- 
ing him  he  may  leave.  Whew  I  John's  getting  even, 
thanking  her,  and  bowing.     That  fellow's   got   cheek 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  123 

enough,  anyway.  No  wonder  she's  ready  to  fly  at  him, 
and  the  old  man  too."  Peter  stepped  briskly  away 
from  the  gate. 

''  In  ten  minutes,"  cried  Sedgwick  in  a  pleasant 
voice;  and  Steve  Roberts  answered  brightly,  "All 
right." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you've  arranged  to  have 
the  mathematic  lesson  to-night,  do  you?"  demanded 
Peter. 

"Why  not?" 

"The  old  lady  said  you  might?  She  agreed  that  all 
of  us  might  come  ?  You  didn't  go  and  forget  about  the 
rest  of  us,  did  you?"  cried  Peter. 

"Of  course  not,"  returned  John.  "What  do  you 
take  me  for?"  Then  he  looked  at  Peter  and  laughed. 
"  What  do  you  think  Steve's  grandmother  said,  when  I 
told  her  about  the  crowd?" 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Peter  stupidly. 

"'The  more  the  merrier,'  that's  what  she  said." 

"  I  must  say  she  didn't  look  like  she  was  saying  that," 
said  Peter  dubiously.  "  I  thought  you  were  having  an 
awful  row." 

The  other  boys  met  them  around  the  corner. 

"Matters  amicably  ari-anged?"  inquired  the  Giant. 
"Room  enough  for  the  six  of  us?" 

"  O.  K.,"  replied  Peter. 

The  door  of  the  little  house  was  open  to  receive  them, 
the  light  flooding  over  the  street.  Steve  and  his  grand- 
mother showed  them  into  the  dining-room,  and  the  old 
lady  bade  them  make  themselves  at  home.    Tlie  old  man 


124  SUNBEAMS  AKD  ZIOONBEAMS. 

came  to  the  door,  and  bowed  to  them,  and  smiled  upon 
them. 

It  was  very  thorough  and  practical  that  first  lesson  in 
mathematics,  each  boy  taking  a  turn  at  playing  professor. 
Even  Steve  was  not  allowed  to  back  out  of  the  honor- 
able position,  and  the  Giant  patted  him  upon  the  shoul- 
der when  he  resumed  his  student's  chair. 

"  Confidence,  my  boy,"  said  the  Giant  pleasantly ; 
"confidence  and  perseverance,  and  a  lesson  now  and 
then,  and  you'll  come  out  all  right." 

At  ten  o'clock  some  one  tapped  upon  the  inner  door, 
and  the  old  lady  entered,  bearing  a  steaming  pot  of 
chocolate. 

"  Lessons  must  be  over  at  ten  o'clock,"  she  said,  "  or 
else  the  professors  will  wear  themselves  out.  Steve,  go 
and  bring  the  crackers,  while  I  pour  out  the  chocolate." 

The  boys  sat  around  the  dining-table,  and  ate  the 
crackers,  and  drank  the  chocolate  witli  a  relish,  the 
Giant  declaring  enthusiasticalh^  that  he  never  tasted 
anj'thing  so  good. 

After  that  the  Moonbeams  bade  good-night  to  the  oc- 
cupants of  the  little  house,  Steve  and  his  grandparents 
seeinor  them  to  the  door,  where  the  old    man  insisted 

o 

upon  holding  the  lamp  above  his  head  to  light  the  way 
to  the  street. 

"  It  was  very  nice,  indeed,  of  those  boys  to  think  of 
coming,"  said  the  old  lady,  turning  into  the  little  front 
room.  "  I  think  that  is  an  excellent  way  to  study, 
Steve." 

Steve's  eyes  were  shining.     '•  I  never  saw  things  so 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  125 

clearly  before,"  he  said.  "  The  fellows  don't  know 
what  passing  the  examination  means  for  me.  I'll  tell 
them  after  it's  over ;  for  I'm  going  to  pass,  sure,  grand- 
mother." 

*'  I  hope  so,  I  hope  so,  Steve,"  said  the  old  lady. 

"Yes,"  said  the  old  man,  "your  Uncle  George  will 
take  you  into  his  law-office  right  away,  and  give  you  a 
pretty  good  salary  from  the  start.  He'll  be  pleased  to 
have  you  graduate  with  the  others.  Those  boys  were 
a  happy  lot  of  fellows ;  and,  I  tell  you,  they  knew  how 
to  work." 

"  Indeed  they  did,"  cried  Steve  enthusiastically. 

"  It  made  me  feel  young  to  hear  the  rumpus  in  the 
dining-room,"  said  the  old  lady.  "  I've  lived  in  a  quiet 
house  so  long  I'd  most  forgotten  what  a  pleasant  sound 
noise  sometimes  is." 

The  boys  about  whom  Mrs.  Roberts  was  saying  all 
these  delightful  things  had  reached  John  Sedgwick's 
house,  and  were  loitering  on  the  street. 

"I  never  w\as  more  astonished  in  all  my  life,"  said 
Singletdn.  "Why,  Steve's  grandmother  is  a  regular 
treasure.  Think  of  her  going  out  and  making  that 
chocolate  for  us !     I  say,  fellows,  we  didn't  deserve  it." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,"  said  Risley ;  "  we'd  been  doing 
some  pretty  tough  w^ork." 

"  Never  tasted  better  chocolate  in  my  life,"  said  the 
Giant. 

"  And  the  crackers  were  mighty  good  too,"  said 
Sandy. 

"  My  stars  !  "  exclaimed  Peter,  "  what  do  people  mean 


126       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 

by  calling  Mrs.  Roberts  crank}-  ?  It's  a  libel.  If  Mrs. 
Roberts  is  cranky,  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for  the  world 
if  everybody  were  cranky.  And  tlie  old  man,  why,  he's 
just  as  polite  and  clever  as  he  can  be,  a  perfect  gentle- 
man. There  are  some  people  who  want  something  to 
talk  about,  I'm  thinking.  According  to  my  notions, 
Steve  Roberts  is  pretty  comfortably  fixed." 

"  Yes,  Steve's  got  it  good,"  said  the  Aristocrat,  "  and 
lie's  by  no  means  a  stupid  fellow,  either." 

"  Plent}^  of  fellows  get  stumped  in  mathematics," 
said  Singleton. 

"  Plenty  !  "  echoed  Risley. 

"  Well,  the  class  won't  hurt  any  of  us  as  far  as  I  can 
see,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"We're  to  have  it  every  Tuesday  night,  are  we  not?" 
asked  Singleton. 

"  That's  the  programme,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  Every  Tuesday  night,  rain  or  snow,  hail  or  a  bliz- 
zard," said  the  Giant  solemnl}^ 

"  That  tale  about  the  Robertses  going  to  bed  so  early 
was  all  bosh,"  cried  Peter  shrilly.  "  Steve's  grand- 
parents were  as  wide  awake  as  anybody.  I  tell  you 
what,  fellows,  it  would  be  just  as  well  for  Moonbeams 
not  to  credit  idle  tales,  would  it  not?" 

"It  would,"  said  the  Giant.  "  Such  a  rule  has 
alread}^  been  established  by  the  Sunbeams." 

Then  the  Moonbeams  bade  John  Sedo^wick  g-ood-niorht, 
and  trudged  along  down  the  street ;  only  Tom  Risley 
ran  back,  and  laid  his  hand  upon  Sedgwick's  arm  as  the 
boy  was  turning  the  door-knob. 


TUE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  127 

"Say,  John,"  he  said,  "I  congratulate  you  with  all 
my  soul." 

"Tliank  you,"  said  John.  "Joy  be  with  you  to- 
morrow night." 

"  Even  if  it  snows,"  added  Tom  earnestly. 


128       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 


CHAPTER   IV. 

jHE  snow  was  coming  clown  sure  enough  on 
Wednesday  morning,  by  noon  it  was  almost 
a  foot  deep. 

"  I  tell  you  what,"  said  Singleton  Fields, 
in  a  prophetic  voice,  "  it  is  going  to  be  a  tremendous 
snow." 

*'  Poor  Risley  !  "  said  Peter  Hopwood. 

"Poor  Risley,  indeed!  "  cried  the  Aristocrat.  "I'm 
afraid  he  has  planted  his  faith  upon  the  weather  report, 
which  calls  for  a  fair  night  and  full  moon.  Here's  the 
fellow  himself.  Hello,  Tom  I  imprisoned  any  straying 
fancy  in  your  might}^  brain  ?  " 

"  Thought  of  anything  for  to-night,  have  you, 
Risley  ?  "  questioned  Peter. 

The  snowflakes  were  scattered  over  Tom  Risley's 
coat ;  they  were  thick  upon  his  cap  ;  his  face  was  glow- 
ing. 

"  Oh,  to-night's  all  right !  "  he  answered  easily. 

"  Going  to  give  us  a  snow-cream  party  ? "  asked 
Peter. 

"  A  taffy-pulling  is  first-rate  in-door  exercise,"  said 
Singleton  Fields. 

"A  taffy-pulling  isn't  a  half  bad  idea,"  said  Tom, 
"  but  unfortunately  it  comes  too  late." 


TUE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  129 

"Receive  my  congratulations,  Tommy,  dear,"  said 
Singleton,  bowing  low. 

"  Thanks,"  said  Tommy. 

*'  Say,  tell  us  about  it.  What  are  we  to  do  ?  "  de- 
manded Singleton. 

"  My  brain  is  all  filled  up  with  snow,"  said  Tom. 

"You're  sure  it  isn't  the  snow-cream  party?"  cried 
the  Aristocrat. 

"No,  nothing  but  snow,"  declared  Tom. 

"Fellows,"  said  the  Giant,  "I'm  afraid  our  friend  is 
in  a  bad  way.  We  ought  by  all  means  to  clear  his  brain 
of  snow." 

Thereupon  the  Moonbeams,  with  a  yell,  fell  upon 
Tom  Risley,  and  carried  him  down  into  the  schoolyard, 
where  he  was  rolled  over  and  over  in  the  snow. 

"  Now,  old  fellow,  what's  in  your  brain  ?  "  inquired 
the  Aristocrat. 

"Snow,"  roared  Tom. 

"When  are  you  going  to  tell  us  about  it ?  " 

"  Just  as  soon  as  ever  I'm  given  the  chance." 

"  Come  along  back  to  the  class-room,  then,"  ordered 
the  Giant. 

Back  in  the  class-room,  Risley  established  himself 
upon  a  desk,  and  the  rest  of  the  Moonbeams  gathered 
around  him. 

"  We  are  ready,"  said  the  Giant  solemnly. 

A  great  earnestness  came  into  the  face  of  Tom  Risley, 
his  eyes  shone  rapturously.  He  was  only  a  long-legged 
boy  of  seventeen,  but  he  had  thrown  his  heart  and  soul 
into  the  plan  for  his  night. 


130       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  Yesterday  evening  I  was  almost  sure  there  would 
be  snow  to-day,"  he  began,  "  and  I  hoped  there  wouldn't ; 
and  then,  all  of  a  sudden,  in  a  kind  of  flash,  don't  you 
know,  I  was  glad." 

''  Inspiration,"  muttered  the  Aristocrat. 

"  I  was  glad  at  the  thought ;  and  when  I  saw  it  com- 
ing down  this  morning,  and  when  I  read  the  weather 
report  in  the  morning  paper  "  — 

"  The  fellow  isn't  your  uncle,  or  anything,  is  he, 
Tom  ?  "  asked  Singleton. 

"  What  fellow  ?  "  demanded  Tom. 

"  The  weather-report  man." 

"  Suppose  we  allow  the  Moonbeam  to  talk  in  peace 
for  a  little,"  suggested  the  Giant.  ''  He  was  just  begin- 
ning to  warm  to  his  subject ;  and  I,  for  one,  was  getting 
interested  in  the  snow,  the  beautiful  snow." 

"  You  all  know  the  Lovettsville  law  about  everybody 
having  to  clean  off  their  fronts  after  a  snow?"  Risley 
continued. 

"Yes,"  said  the  Giant,  "and  how  proud  Lovettsville 
was  when  it  issued  the  decree,  and  how  happy  it  was 
w^hen  it  snowed." 

"  Well,"  said  Risley.  "  I  want  us  all  to  clean  the 
streets." 

"Whew!"  cried  Peter,  "I  must  say  there's  nothing 
beautiful  about  cleaning  the  streets.  You  mean  to  say, 
Risley,  that  you  really  expect  the  graduating-class  of 
the  High  School  to  clean  the  streets?" 

"  Some  people  once  upon  a  time,  perhaps,  were  under 
the  impression  that  there  was  nothing  beautiful  about 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  131 

wood-cutting,  but  tliey  found  out  different,"  said  the 
Giant. 

''  I  spoiled  tlie  young  one  b}^  making  him  a  professor 
last  night,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  Peter,  Peter,  go  home  to  your  mother,  and  ask  lier 
please  to  put  3'ou  into  long  trousers,"  said  Singleton. 

"We  had  a  whole  lot  of  fellows  help  us  cut  wood," 
said  Peter  ;  "  that  was  fun." 

"  What's  to  prevent  the  whole  lot  of  fellows  from 
helping  us  to  shovel  snow?"  inquired  Risley.  "I'm 
not  going  to  be  mean  about  this  business,  either." 

Peter  broke  into  a  laugh,  and  joined  in  the  Moon- 
beams' cheer. 

"  There  are  ever  so  many  poor  people  in  Lovettsville," 
said  Tom,  warming  to  his  subject  again  ;  "  people  to 
whom  the  snow-law  must  have  come  as  a  sad  piece  of 
intelligence,  people  who  really  cannot  afford  to  have 
their  fronts  cleaned." 

"  Oh,  come  now  !  "  cried  Singleton,  "  that's  a  little  too 
strong,  Risley.  Of  course  there  are  poor  people  in 
Lovettsville,  but  any  one  can  afford  ten  or  fifteen  cents 
now  and  then  after  a  snow." 

"Risley's  right,"  said  the  Giant,  "and  the  other 
Moonbeam  is  wrong.  There  are  plenty  of  people  in 
Lovettsville  who  cannot  well  afford  to  have  their  fronts 
cleaned  after  a  snow." 

"  And  some  of  these  people  who  cannot  afford  to 
have  their  fronts  cleaned,  have  it  done  and  pay  for  it, 
and  do  without  a  minor  necessity  of  life,"  cried  Tom. 
"  I  know  it  for  a  fact.  And  other  people  who  are  neither 


132       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

able  to  pay  for  the  work  nor  to  do  it  themselves,  never- 
theless, do  do  it  themselves,  thereby  keeping  the  law. 
Why,  I've  seen  w^omen,  many  and  many  a  time,  cleaning 
the  snow  off  the  pavement.     It's  outrageous." 

Peter  Hopwood's  eyes  were  as  round  as  saucers. 
"  Say,"  he  exclaimed,  "  our  cook  cleans  off  the  front ! 
She  does  it  often  before  I'm  up.  I  never  thought  about 
it's  being  outrageous,  or  anything  of  the  kind." 

"  We  foro-ive  vou,  Peter,"  said  the  Aristocrat. 

"  All  these  things,"  added  Tom,  "  have  made  me 
think  of  snow,  and  nothing  but  snow." 

"Where  are  we  to  start  from?"  inquired  Sedgwick. 

"From  the  middle  of  Lovettsville,"  answered  Tom; 
"  from  Scott's  drug-store." 

"  All  right,"  roared  the  Moonbeams. 

"What  are  we  to  bring?"  inquired  Peter. 

"  Shovels  and  brooms,"  said  Tom.  "  There  ought 
to  be  a  broom  to  every  five  shovels.  I  guess  we  can 
arrange  matters." 

"  Yes,"  said  Peter,  "  by  asking  five  fellows  each  to 
bring  a  shovel,  and  then  asking  one  fellow  to  bring 
a  broom.  The  Moonbeams,  of  course,  will  all  have 
shovels.     We'll  let  delicate  fellows  handle  the  brooms." 

"Not  too  delicate,"  said  the  Giant,  with  a  laugh  in 
his  eyes. 

Then  Peter  Hopwood  glanced  out  the  window  in  dis- 
may.    "What  if  it  doesn't  stop  snowing?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Oh,  it  is  going  to  stop  snowing !  "  said  Tom. 
"There'll  be  brig-ht  moonlig-ht  to-nicrht.  We'll  eno^as^e 
our  helpers  directly  after  school." 


TUE    MOONBEAM    CLUB,  133 

It  was  still  snowing  when  the  Moonbeams  engaged 
their  helpers,  though  not  very  rapidly  ;  but  later,  just 
before  the  sun  went  down,  it  broke  through  the  clouds 
for  an  instant,  and  the  fallen  snow  on  streets  and  roofs 
and  trees  of  Lovettsville  glistened  in  the  light. 

The  boys  invited  to  help  clean  the  streets  of  Lovetts- 
ville hailed  the  glimpse  of  sunshine  w^itli  a  shout. 
Cutting  wood  had  been  good  fun,  but  shovelling  snow 
promised  to  be  even  greater  sport. 

"These  fellows  in  the  graduating-class  of  the  High 
School  are  thinking  of  all  sorts  of  jolly  things  lately," 
said  twelve-year  old  Jim  Hannah,  as  he  and  his  friend 
trudged  along  in  the  snow.  ''It's  mighty  nice  in  them 
to  ask  all  the  rest  of  us  fellows  to  help  now  and  then." 

"  Mighty  nice,  indeed,"  said  the  other  boy.  "  They've 
got  a  club,  haven't  they?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Jim  Hannah;  "they  call  themselves 
Moonbeams.      Moonbeams  work  at  night,  you  know." 

"  I  wish  I  were  a  Moonbeam,"  said  the  other  boy. 

"Some  day,  maybe,  we'll  both  be  Moonbeams,"  said 
Jim  hopefully.  "  Do  you  know  I  believe  I'll  ask  the 
Giant  to  let  us  join." 

''I  w4sh  you  would,"  said  the  other  boy. 

At  eight  o'clock,  the  hour  appointed  for  the  meeting 
of  the  Moonbeams  and  their  assistants  outside  the  drug- 
store, the  moon  was  full  in  the  heavens.  The  boys  of 
Lovettsville  were  in  high  spirits ;  everybody's  brain,  as 
the  Aristocrat  put  it,  was  full  of  snow,  nothing  but 
snow. 

Kisley  counted  the  helpers  around  among  the  Moon- 


134       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

beams,  and  each  crowd  started  off.  Lovettsville  becaine 
a  noisy  place  that  night  of  the  first  snow  of  the  season 
as  the  crowds  went  ahead  shovelling  and  sweeping  the 
snow,  sino^inor-  and  laug-hingf  and  whistling^. 

In  a  little  low  wooden  house  along  one  of  the  Lovetts- 
ville streets,  two  women  were  disputing  over  no  less  a 
subject  than  the  keeping  of  the  snow-law,  not  knowing 
that  a  new  verdict  had  been  rendered  in  a  higher  court, 
—  the  court  of  kindness  and  brotherl}^  love. 

*'  Mar}-,"  said  the  old  woman,  "it  is  not  right  for  you 
to  clean  off  the  front,  law  or  no  law.  You'll  catch  your 
death  of  cold.     It's  a  terrible  deep  snow,  Mary." 

"It's  a  job  that's  got  to  be  done,"  said  Mary;  "and 
I'd  ratlier  do  it  at  night.  I  don't  care  overmuch  about 
shovelling  snow  in  the  daytime,  and  have  folks  pityin' 
me." 

"  Get  a  man  to  do  it,  Mary,"  pleaded  the  mother. 

"We  can't  afford  it,"  said  Mary.  She  bundled  her- 
self up  in  an  old  coat,  and  tied  a  worsted  scarf  over  her 
head.  "  I'll  get  the  shovel  and  broom,  and  perform  the 
Lovettsville  snow-law  as  quick  as  possible,"  she  said; 
"  but  laws  !  I  wish  I  only  had  to  make  a  path."  In  the 
hall  the  young  woman  was  seized  with  a  violent  fit  of 
coughing. 

"Mary,"  called  the  mother's  anxious  voice,  "you 
cannot  clean  the  front  with  that  cousfh." 

But  Mary  got  the  shovel  and  broom,  and  opened  the 
door  upon  the  street.  The  snow  piled  against  the  door- 
sill  fell  into  the  hall,  and  she  swept  it  out.  But  Avith 
the  cool  air  tingling  her  face  there  came  to  her  the 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  135 

sound  of  fresh  young  voices,  laughing  and  singing  and 
whistling.  She  listened  for  a  minute,  and  then  drew 
back  into  the  house. 

"  Mother,"  she  said,  "  there's  a  lot  of  boys  out  cleanin' 
the  fronts.  I  thought  at  first  it  was  a  sleddin'-party, 
they  seem  to  be  in  such  a  frolic."  She  began  to  cough 
again.  *'  If  I  had  the  money,"  she  said,  *'  I  believe  I'd 
let  'em  clean  ours ;  my  shoes  are  so  awful  thin." 

The  old  woman  had  risen  and  taken  a  silver  piece 
from  under  a  candlestick  on  the  mantel.  "  Let  them 
clean  the  front,  Mary,"  she  pleaded.  "We  can  do  with- 
out meat  for  to-morrow." 

"  No,  mother,  you  can't  do  without  meat  to-morrow," 
said  the  daughter  firml3^  "  How  do  you  expect  to  get 
strong  if  you  don't  follow  the  doctor's  directions?" 

"  What  would  the  doctor  think  if  he  was  to  see  you 
cleanin'  away  snow  in  them  shoes,  Mary?"  asked  the 
old  woman  ;  "and  with  that  couo-h?" 

"We've  got  to  keep  the  law  or  be  fined,"  said  Mary 
bitterly. 

The  laughing  and  whistling  and  singing  sounded 
directly  outside  the  house  now.  Mary  Cover  went  to 
the  door  again.  It  was  her  intention  to  tell  the  boys 
that  they  did  not  wish  the  front  cleaned  ;  they  would 
have  it  done  later.  When  she  opened  the  door  a  Moon- 
beam bowed  to  her,  and  before  she  could  utter  a  word 
explained  that  the  boys  of  Lovettsville  were  cleaning 
the  streets  for  exercise. 

The  young  woman  went  back  into  the  room. 

"You  let  them  do  it,  Mary?     That  was  right,"  said 


136       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

the  old  mother.  She  reached  up  a  second  time  for  the 
bit  of  silver. 

"  Put  the  money  away,  mother,"  said  Mary.  "  It's  the 
Lovettsville  boys  shovelling  snow  for  exercise."  She 
crossed  over  to  the  window  and  stood  looking  out  at 
the  boys,  a  smile  in  her  eyes,  and  a  prayer  in  her  heart. 

Everywhere  throughout  Lovettsville  there  was  ex- 
citement that  night  of  the  Moonbeams'  street-cleaning. 
The  fice-dog,  looking  from  his  mother's  parlor,  under- 
stood the  meaning  of  the  exercise,  and  thumped  vigor- 
ously upon  the  window-panes,  cheering  the  workers  on. 
Mrs.  Snell  did  not  quite  understand  it.  '■'  They're 
takin'  exercise,  I  reckon,"  she  said  dubiousl}'. 

In  a  certain  brilliantlv  lio-hted  sittincr-room  a  sfirl  sat 
rocking  her  chair  back  and  forth  rather  vehemently. 
She  was  a  tall  girl,  with  an  expressive  face  and  dark 
hair.  She  was  talking  rapidly  to  a  smaller  girl,  who  had 
come  over  to  spend  the  night. 

"  It's  just  this  w^ay  with  me;  I'm  always  out  of  money 
when  I  need  it  most,"  declared  Carrie  Offutt.  ''  To- 
day's snow  is  just  delicious  to  us ;  it  means  all  sorts 
of  good  things  to  us,  —  sleigh-rides  and  sled-rides  and 
all  sorts  of  jolly  things.  But  it  doesn't  mean  that  to 
the  poor  people  of  Lovettsville." 

"No,"  agreed  Effie  Dorcus.  "But  anyway,  Cariie, 
most  of  the  poor  people  have  their  wood  cut.  That's 
somethingr  to  be  thankful  for." 

"  The  street-cleaning  law  is  detestable  I  "  cried  Carrie 
hotly.  "  Of  course  the  streets  look  better  when  they're 
cleaned,  and  they  ought  to  be  cleaned;  but  the  towA 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  137 

ought  to  do  it.  I'm  sure  everybody  pays  taxes.  Real 
poor  people  can't  afford  to  have  their  fronts  cleaned, 
and  the  town  ought  to  know  it.  Before  laws  are  made, 
everything  should  be  considered.  I  asked  mamma  to 
let  me  borrow  some  money  on  my  next  allowance,  but 
she  wouldn't;  she  says  I  mustn't  learn  to  borrow,  that 
I  must  try  to  keep  something  back  for  a  rainy  day,  — 
snowy  day  in  this  instance.  Then  I  wanted  to  send  our 
man,  John,  down  to  Mrs.  Ridley's.  She  can't  afford  to 
hire  a  man  to  clean  her  front,  and  she  isn't  able  to  do  it 
herself.  Mamma  said  I  might  ask  John,  but  I  couldn't 
order  him  ;  and  what  do  you  think,  Effie  Dorcus  ?  John 
w^as  actually  impudent ;  said  that  he  was  hired  to  do  the 
work  at  this  house,  and  not  to  clean  front  for  Mrs.  Rid- 
ley. And  then  he  grinned.  I  wish  mamma  w^ould  dis- 
charge him." 

"  I  haven't  any  money,  either,"  said  Effie  dolefully. 
"  But,  Carrie,  there  are  just  lots  and  lots  of  people  who 
wouldn't  allow  other  people  to  pay  for  having  their 
fronts  cleaned." 

"  Oh,  I  know  !  "  said  Carrie,  sighing. 

*'  Lovettsville  didn't  look  so  w^ell  when  the  people 
made  paths  and  let  the  rest  of  the  snow  melt,"  said 
Effie  ;  ''  but  it  must  have  been  very  much  easier  just  to 
make  a  path." 

"  I  should  say  so,"  said  Carrie.  "  Mrs.  Ridley's  path 
was  made  by  people  tramping  down  the  snow  as  they 
went  along  tlie  street.  I  am  just  furious,  Effie,  about 
the  snow-law." 

The  door  of  tlie  sitting-room  opened,  and  a  colored 


138       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 

girl  came  in  to  put  coal  on  the  fire.  She  grinned  pleas- 
antly at  the  two  girls. 

'^Laws,  Miss  Carrie,  what  de  matter  wid  you?"  she 
asked. 

"  Matter  enough,"  said  Carrie.  "  For  one  thing,  I 
wish  mamma  would  discharge  John." 

The  girl  giggled  in  delight.  "  What  John  gone  and 
done  ?  "  she  inquired. 

"Gone  and  done  nothing,"  said  Carrie  excitedly.  "I 
wanted  him  to  clean  off  Mrs.  Ridley's  front  and  he  re- 
fused. If  I  were  a  great,  strong  working-man,  white  or 
black,  and  there  was  a  poor  old  woman  who  gets  the 
rheumatism,  and  there  was  a  miserable  law  that  people 
had  to  have  their  fronts  cleaned  after  a  snow,  and  this 
old  woman  hadn't  any  money,  wh}^,  I'd  be  ashamed 
of  mj'self  if  I  didn't  take  a  shovel,  and  go  and  clean 
off  her  front,  so  I  would.  You  can  tell  John  that  I 
for  one  person  have  a  very  poor  opinion  of  him  ;  that 
I'd  discharge  him  if  I  had  a  word  in  the  matter ;  and 
I  w^ouldn't  give  him  a  recommendation,  either.  Yes,  I 
would ;  I'd  give  him  a  written  recommendation  for 
meanness." 

"  Dat  pretty  good  !  "  cried  Nancy  Maude. 

"  It's  hard  on  ever  so  many  people,"  said  Carrie  ;  "  and 
mamma  won't  even  lend  me  ten  cents." 

'•  I  haven't  an}-  money,  either,"  repeated  Effie. 

"Laws!"  said  Nancy  Maude  cheerfully;  "if  I  w^as 
you  alls,  I  wouldn't  be  bodderin'  nothin'  'bout  Lovetts- 
ville  pore  people.  You  alls  know  dey  got  de  good 
Lawd  to  take  keer  of  'em." 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  139 

"Yes,  of  course,  we  know  that,"  said  Effie  ;  "but 
Carrie  thinks  the  Sunbeams  ought  to  do  their  part." 

"  I  wish  I  were  a  millionnaire,"  said  Carrie  ;  "  I'd  ar- 
ranore  Laws  and  thino^s  for  Lovettsville.  Oh !  wouldn't 
it  be  grand  to  be  a  millionnaire?  " 

"You  alls  ain't  b'en  listenin'  to  de  winder  none,  I 
reckon  ?  "  inquired  Nancy  Maude. 

"  No.  Why  ?  "  cried  Carrie.  She  ran  to  a  front  win- 
dow, and  threw  it  up,  and  leaned  over  the  sill.  "  Effie," 
she  called,  "come  here.     What  is  it?" 

"Oh,"  cried  Effie  rapturously,  "it's  the  Moonbeams! 
They're  cleaning  the  streets.  Look,  there's  another 
crowd  down  at  the  end  of  the  square." 

"  I  told  you  alls  you  needn't  bodder  none,"  said 
Nancy  Maude. 

"  I  believe  mamma  knew,"  said  Carrie.  "  Nancy 
Maude,  did  John  know  too  ?  " 

Nancy  Maude  giggled. 

"  Well,  I'm  satisfied  with  the  way  things  have  turned 
out,"  said  Carrie,  "perfectly  satisfied." 

"I  am  sure  every  Sunbeam  is  satisfied,"  said  Effie, 
"  and  everybody  else." 

"Of  all  de  quare  kind  o'  talk  I  ever  heerd,"  said 
Nancy  Maude,  as  she  descended  the  kitchen  steps. 
"  Sunbeam  and  Moonbeam,  cleanin'  people's  houses, 
and  cleanin'  de  streets.  Wuck,  wuck,  wuck  !  Ef  I 
was  a  boy,  I'd  a  heap  sooner  be  out  on  de  hill  a-sleddin', 
dan  shovellin'  snow  fo'  nothin',  I  would."  Then  Nancy 
Maude  laughed  softly,  and  added,  "  Now,  mebbe,  I 
wouldn't  neider,  ef  I  was  a  Moonbeam  boy." 


140       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 


CHAPTER   V. 

IHURSDAY,  Alexander  Brown,  His  Night," 
said  the  Aristocrat  musingly.  It  was  early 
in  the  morning;  the  boy  w^as  leaning  over 
the  banisters  in  the  hotel  corridor,  gazing 
idly  down  into  the  hall  below.  "  Well,"  he  added,  "  I 
have  the  whole  day  to  think  about  the  matter;  some- 
thing is  sure  to  turn  up."  Then  there  came  to  him  the 
sound  of  voices.  Captain  Waldron,  the  hotel  proprietor, 
was  telling  one  of  the  guests  a  pitiful  story,  and  the 
guest  was  expressing  sympathy.  Kitty  Burns  must  go 
to  the  poor-house.  She  was  old  and  penniless  and 
alone.  She  was  very  industrious,  but  the  winter  found 
her  in  feeble  health.  She  was  proud,  and  a  Scotch 
woman;  she  had  never  begged.  The  neighbors  said 
it  would  be  a  terrible  blow  to  her  to  have  to  go  to 
the  poor-house. 

Who  was  Kitty  Burns?  How  could  she  be  saved 
from  the  poor-house  ?  Sandy  Brown  wished  most  heart- 
ily that  his  father  and  mother  were  not  away  in  Europe, 
and  he  himself  living  in  fine  style  at  the  Lovettsville 
hotel.  He  wanted  just  then  a  home  and  people.  He 
w^anted  to  go  to  his  mother,  as  the  Giant  had  gone  to 
his,  and  ask  her  to  help  him  with  his  night. 

At  half-past  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  Aristo- 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  141 

crat  was  standing  on  the  street,  reading  a  sign  above 
his  head :  — 


IRON 

-HOLDERS    FOR 
ALSO 
A    QUILT. 

SALE 

KITTY 

BURNS,    SECOND 

FLOOR. 

The  name,  Kitty  Burns,  was  written,  too,  upon  the 
unpainted  door  at  the  head  of  the  steps.  The  Aristocrat 
knocked,  and  entered  the  room  when  a  woman's  voice 
called,  "  Come  in  !  " 

It  had  required  not  a  little  courage  to  seek  out  the 
home  of  Kitty  Burns,  and  the  Aristocrat  felt  utterly 
miserable  as  he  responded  to  the  invitation  to  "come 
in."     But  then  he  had  never  seen  Kitty  Burns. 

She  was  a  delicate  little  old  lady,  with  silver  hair  and 
soft,  kind  eyes.  The  room  that  she  occupied  was  wretch- 
edly poor,  to  be  sure.  There  was  no  carpet  upon  the 
floor,  and  no  fire  in  the  stove ;  but  its  neatness  made  it 
beautiful,  and  in  the  window,  flooded  with  sunlight,  was 
a  pot  of  blooming  geraniums. 

"  I  saw  your  sign  down  below,"  said  the  boy,  blush- 
ing like  a  girl ;  "  and  I  thought  I'd  come  up,  and  look 
at  your  iron-holders." 

His  errand  evidently  surprised  Kitty  Burns.  What 
a  fine-looking  young  fellow  he  was !  She  was  all  in  a 
flutter,  as  she  went  to  a  little  stand-drawer,  and  took 
out  a  number  of  iron-holders. 

"Sit  down,"  she  said  to  the  boy ;  and  then  she  seated 


142       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

herself  beside  him,  and  spread  out  the  iron-holders,  — 
some  on  her  own  lap,  some  upon  the  knees  of  Alexander 
Brown.  Their  color  made  another  patch  of  brightness 
in  the  cold  little  room. 

"You  see,"  she  said,  with  suppressed  eagerness,  "I 
do  not  make  them  in  a  hurry ;  they  are  thick,  and  yet 
not  clumsy.  I  use  good  materials,  and  I  sew  them  so 
that  they  will  not  rip ;  and  after  that  I  hemstitch  around 
them ;  it  gives  a  neat  finish.  Some  people  make  iron- 
holders  out  of  old  rags  and  bits  of  worn  cloth,  but  they 
don't  last.  Now,  these  of  mine  will  last  for  a  long, 
long  time." 

"Yes,"  said  the  Aristocrat,  "I'm  sure  they  w^ill. 
Why,  I  declare,  they're  as  pretty  as  mats." 

The  old  lady  smiled  at  the  compliment.  "  Did  you 
say  your  mother  sent  you  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  No,"  said  Sandy ;  "  my  mother  isn't  at  home  just 
now.  I'm  sure  if  she  were  home,  and  had  known  about 
them,  she  would  have  sent  me.  Lots  of  fellows'  mothers 
would  send  them  if  they  knew  about  them.  You  see, 
you  live  in  rather  an  out-of-the-way  place,  and  every- 
body doesn't  see  your  sign.  I  saw  it  for  the  first  time 
to-day.  That  blue  one  is  awfully  pretty,  and  the  red 
one's  a  perfect  beauty.  I'll  take  the  blue  and  the  red  one. 
I  want  to  give  them  to  my  mother  when  she  comes 
home." 

He  was  such  a  pleasant  boy.  Kitty  Burns  smiled  at 
him  over  the  blue  and  the  red  iron-holders.  '•  1*11  wrap 
them  in  paper  for  you,"  she  said.  Then  she  paused, 
and  a  pink  glow  came  into  her  faded  cheeks.     "  You 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  143 

didn't  ask  me  the  price,"  she  said.  "  Some  people 
think  that  I  sell  them  high.  But  I  buy  the  material, 
and  they're  good  and  strong  ;  they'll  last  a  long,  long 
time.  People  about  say  that  fifteen  cents  a  piece  is 
asking  too  much.  But  they  have  a  double  lining,  and 
they1-e  hemstitched.  I  tell  you  what,  I'll  sell  you  the 
two  for  a  quarter." 

"  Fifteen  cents  is  not  a  high  price  at  all,"  said  the 
boy  bluntly.  He  took  out  his  pocketbook,  and  handed 
over  a  quarter  and  a  five-cent  piece. 

"  If  I  made  them  out  of  old,  useless  material,  old  rags 
and  worn  cloth,  of  course,  I  could  afford  to  sell  them 
cheaper,"  said  Kitty  Burns  ;  "  I  could  sell  them  for  ten 
cents."  She  wrapped  the  iron-holders  in  paper.  Her 
hands  were  trembling.  The  Aristocrat  felt  like  crying 
out  that  it  wasn't  right  for  her  to  sit  in  a  room  without 
fire;  but  he  accepted  the  package  silently,  and  silently 
listened  to  her  grateful  thanks.  But  he  did  not  go. 
He  had  ever  so  many  things  to  say  to  Kitty  Burns. 

"  If  you'd  like  to  look  at  something  pretty,"  said  the 
little  oid  lady,  "  I'll  show  you  the  quilt." 

The  quilt  was  indeed  a  marvellous  piece  of  work. 
The  Aristocrat  admired  it  enthusiastically,  and  won- 
dered in  his  heart  why  the  Lovettsville  people,  who 
professed  to  be  wild  over  art,  hadn't  found  it  out. 

"I  have  had  it  for  over  a  year,"  said  the  old  lady 
wistfully.  "  I  can't  do  much  fine  work  now,  my  sight 
won't  allow  it.  People  say  it  is  a  very  beautiful  quilt, 
but  the  price  is  high.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  work  on 
it,  and  you  see  I  do  not  like  to  give  it  away.     But  I 


144       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

would  not  refuse  any  reasonable  sum.  I  have  had  it 
for  over  a  year.  I  would  be  delighted  to  get  seven 
dollars  for  it." 

"  It's  worth  more  than  seven  dollars,"  said  the 
Aristocrat. 

"  You  might  tell  some  of  your  friends  about  it,^  said 
Kitty  Burns,  her  faded  cheeks  flushing  again.  Sandy 
felt  certain  as  she  looked  at  him,  with  an  eagerness  and 
a  dawning  hope  in  her  soft  eyes,  that  she  had  heard 
the  neighbors'  talk  about  the  poor-house. 

"  Yes,  111  tell  'em,"  he  said.  "  Some  one  will  be 
sure  to  want  such  a  beautiful  quilt.  If  I  were  you  I'd 
put  the  price  up  again  ;  I'd  put  it  as  high  as  I  could." 

"  Once,"  said  Kitty  Burns,  laughing  pleasantly,  "  I 
sold  a  quilt  for  twelve  dollars.  I  was  lodging  on  the 
lower  floor,  and  I  displayed  it  in  the  window.  A  lady 
passing  one  day  stopped  and  looked  at  it,  and  declared 
she  must  have  it.  She  was  staying  at  the  hotel  for 
a  week  or  so,  and  she  was  afraid  I'd  sell  it  before  she 
got  back  with  the  money.  I  never  was  so  glad  in  my 
life.  You  see,  I  was  working  regularly  then  for  a 
tailor,  and  I  had  plenty  of  means  to  support  myself; 
but  there  was  a  famil}^  in  the  house  who  were  at  that 
time  in  great  need.  The  mother  was  ill,  and  there 
were  little  children.  I  only  lent  the  money,  3'ou 
understand.  There  Avas  a  sister  of  the  sick  woman  in 
the  West,  and  she  had  been  written  to.  She  came  on 
and  paid  all  the  family's  debts,  and  took  them  back  to 
the  West  with  her.  Then,  you  see,  I  had  my  quilt 
money  to  spend  over  again.     I  got  a  great  deal  of  pleas- 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  145 

ure  out  of  that  twelve  dollars,  for  T  had  it  over  and 
above  my  living  expenses.  You'll  laugh  when  I  tell 
you  that  part  of  it  went  in  buying  a  large  wax  doll.  I 
know  Mr.  Jones  at  the  store  thought  I  was  terribly 
extravagant,  and  no  doubt  I  was;  but  there  was  a  little 
child  here  in  the  house  who  was  crying  for  a  doll.  She 
had  hurt  her  back,  and  she  would  never  be  strong  and 
well  like  other  children  ;  and  so  I  determined  she  should 
have  the  prettiest  doll  I  could  find  in  Lovettsville. 
Oh,  I  can't  begin  to  tell  you  all  the  delightful  things 
that  quilt  money  bought !  " 

Every  bit  of  the  Aristocrat's  nervousness  had  van- 
ished. He  felt  as  if  Kitty  Burns  and  himself  were 
friends.  She  had  made  the  quilt  still  on  her  hands  a 
long  time  ago,  she  could  no  longer  do  fine  work. 

"  But  you  can  make  iron-holders  all  rights  can't 
you  ? "  inquired  Sandy  suddenly.  "  I  mean,  you 
make  them  now,  don't  you  ? " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Kitty  Burns ;  "  making  iron- 
holders  is  pleasant  work.'* 

"  How  many  can  you  make  in  a  day  ?  "  asked  the  boy. 

The  old  lady  laughed.  "  More  than  I  can  sell,  lad," 
she  answered. 

"  But  if  you  could  sell  them  how  many  could  you 
make?" 

"  I  could  make  five  or  six,  five,  for  sure,  but  I  couldn't 
sell  them." 

"  Could  you  live  off  of  fifty  or  sixty  cents  a  day  ?  " 
asked  the  Aristocrat  dubiously. 

''  Have  I  ever  had  as  much?"  asked  the  old  lady  in 


146       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

turn,  laughing  gently.      "Fifty  or   sixty  cents  would 
mean  a  comfortable  life  to  me." 

"Your  iron-holders,"  said  Sandy  earnestly,  "must  be 
put  on  show  in  a  store  window.  I'll  see  Mr.  Jones  about 
it.  You  can  buy  your  materials  from  him,  and  that  will 
even  matters  up.  I'll  see  Mr.  Jones  this  evening  if 
you'll  let  me." 

"  And  how  am  I  to  even  matters  up  with  you,  lad  ?  " 
inquired  the  old  lady. 

"Oh,"  said  Sandy,  half  laughing,  "that's  all  right! 
I'm  part  Scotch,  you  know;  my  name's  Alexander, 
Sandy,  you  know." 

After  that  the  Aristocrat  bade  Kitty  Burns  good- 
afternoon,  and  went  out  through  the  unpainted  door 
and  down  the  steps  into  the  street.  His  cap  was 
pulled  over  his  eyes,  and  he  did  not  see  the  girl 
standing  reading  the  sign  above  the  door.  But  the 
girl  called  after  him. 

"  Sandy,"  she  called,  "  have  you  been  buying  iron- 
holders?" 

Sandy  turned  promptly,  raised  his  cap,  and  called 
back,  "  Maybe  so." 

"  Going  to  buy  the  quilt  too  ?  "  inquired  Lula  Briggs. 

"  Maybe  so,"  said  Sandy. 

"  \Yell,  I  won't  go  up,"  said  Lula ;  "  the  IMoonbeams 
can  manage." 

The  Moonbeams  met  in  the  Aristocrat's  room  at  the 
hotel  at  half-past  seven  that  evening.  The  boy  was  a 
little  flurried  as  he  told  the  story  of  Kitty  Burns  and 
the  poor-house,  and  how  he  had  gone  to  see  her,  and 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  147 

what  arrangements  he  intended  to  make  about  tlie 
iron-holders. 

"  As  far  as  I  can  see,"  said  Peter  Hopwood,  "  there's 
nothing  for  us  to  do ;  you've  done  the  whole  thing 
yourself." 

''  He  hasn't  sold  the  iron-holders,"  said  Sedgwick. 

*'  Jones  is  to  do  that,"  said  Peter. 

"  There's  plenty  of  work  for  us  all,  Peter,  my  boy," 
said  the  Aristocrat;  "  we  have  to  find  people  to  buy 
the  iron-holders !  " 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  young  Hopwood. 

*'  Why  didn't  you  let  us  peddle,  Brown  ?  "  inquired 
Tom  Risley.  ''  There'd  been  more  fun  about  the 
thing." 

"  Because,"  said  Singleton, "  the  Aristocrat  has  a  kind 
heart,  and  didn't  wish  to  rush  the  old  lady  in  her  work." 

"  We've  got  to  go  to  Mr.  Jones  right  away,"  said 
Sandy ;  "  and  then,  Fellow-Moonbeams,  we're  to  find 
somebody  to  buy  the  first  iron-holders.  We  are  going 
to  call  on  Mr.  Andrew  MacDonald." 

*'  Very  good,"  said  the  Giant. 

"  Mr.  Andrew  MacDonald  !     Glory  !  "  cried  Peter. 

"  You  must  think  we  all  have  cheek,"  cried  Risle}^ 

"  He  has  never  given  away  a  cent  in  his  life,"  said 
John  Sedgwick. 

''  Who's  going  to  ask  him  to  give  away  a  cent  ?  " 
demanded  the  Aristocrat. 

"  Not  the  Moonbeam  Club  certainlj^"  said  the  Giant. 
"  We  simply  wish  him  to  purchase  a  very  necessaiy 
household  article." 


148  SUNBEAMS  AXD  MOONBEAMS. 

*'  Six  times  five  are  thirty,  six  times  six  are  thirty- 
six  ;  she'll  make  thirty-six  a  week  if  she  can  sell  'em. 
Lovettsville  will  be  flooded  with  iron-holders,"  said 
Peter. 

''  Lovettsville  is  in  sore  need  of  iron-holders,  I'm  sure 
of  that,"  said  the  Giant. 

"  These  are  beautiful,"  said  the  Aristocrat.  "  Look 
at  them  before  we  start  out.  See  the  stitching  about 
the  edges ;  that's  fine  work.  These  iron-holders  are 
cheap,  if  I'm  a  judge." 

"After  the  people  have  all  they  want,  what  then?" 
demanded  Peter. 

"  Then  they  can  buy  more  than  they  want,"  retorted 
the  Aristocrat.  "  Say,  you  fellows,  I  haven't  told  you 
everything  about  Kitty  Burns.  You  just  go  and  see 
her." 

"  I  know  a  great  deal  about  iron-holders,"  said  Sin- 
gleton. *'  Ours  are  always  lost.  I  know  my  mother'll 
be  glad  to  buy  two  or  three  a  month,  and  think  of  how 
many  people  there  are  in  Lovettsville  ! " 

The  Moonbeam  Club  went  down  the  street  to  Mr. 
Jones's  store  and  ••'  settled  preliminaries,"  as  Peter 
said,  and  then  the}"  tramped  on  up  the  street  in  the 
direction  of  i\Ir.  MacDonald's  great  brick  house. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  say  to  him  when  you  get  us 
all  in  there  ?  "  asked  Singleton. 

"  I'll  begin  by  telling  him  about  his  countrywoman," 
said  Sandy. 

"Of  course  he  ought  to  help,"  said  Tom.  "How- 
many  iron-holders  are  you  going  to  ask  him  to  buy  ?  " 


TEE  MOONBEAM  CLUB,  149 

"A  car-load,"  said  the  Giant. 

"  Somebody  will  have  to  buy  a  car-load  if  she  makes 
six  a  day,"  said  Peter. 

The  Aristocrat  turned  about.  "  She  only  clears  ten 
cents  on  each,"  he  said.  "  That  will  be  fifty  or  sixty 
cents  a  day.  Do  you  expect  her  to  live  on  less  than 
fifty  or  sixty  cents  a  day?  If  you  fellows  stick  to 
your  resolutions,  you'll  do  the  best  you  can  for  Kitty 
Burns.  A  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  will  keep  her  in 
comfort  for  a  year.  Think  of  that !  And  if  you  go  to 
see  her  you'll  know  that  she  hasn't  very  many  years 
left.  She's  not  to  go  to  the  poor-house  while  I've  got 
any  say  over  a  night." 

"  She's  not  to  go  to  the  poor-house  for  a  fact,"  roared 
the  Giant. 

"  But  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  is  a  good  deal  of 
money,"  said  Tom  Risley. 

"  '  It's  ill  to  loose  the  bands  that  God  decreed  to  bind; 
Still  will  we  be  the  children  of  the  heather  and  the  wind. 
Far  away  from  home,  O  it's  still  for  you  and  me 
That  the  broom  is  blowing  bonnie  in  the  north  countrie.' " 

The  Aristocrat  quoted  this  verse,  and  marched  on  his 
way. 

"  Yes,  he  ought  to  help ;  he's  Scotch,"  said  Sedgwick. 

Tlie  Moonbeams  w^ere  shown  into  the  librar}-  of  Mr. 
MacDonald's  great  brick  liouse.  It  was  a  cheerful  room, 
the  logs  crackling  in  the  fireplace,  the  lamp-light  and 
the  fire-light  commingling.  The  furniture  was  rich  and 
heavy,  and  the  books  lining  the  shelves  must  have  cost 
a  fortune. 


150  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

'•How  are  you  going  to  explain  about  ws,  Sandy?" 
inquired  Peter,  in  a  whisper. 

*'l'm  going  to  tell  him  right  out  that  we're  a  club," 
said  the  Aristocrat. 

"And  get  us  all  in  it,  I  suppose,"  said  Singleton. 

"AVell,  aren't  you  in  it?"  demanded  Sandy.  ''Are 
not  you  Moonbeams  ?     Say,  are  you  or  aren't  you  ?  " 

"  Quietly,  quietly!  "  said  the  Giant.  "Decidedly  we 
are  all  in  it." 

"Yes,  of  course,"  said  Singleton;  "we're  all  in  it." 

"  In  it  with  a  vengeance,"  said  Peter. 

Then  jNIr.  Andrew  MacDonald  came  into  the  library. 
He  was  a  medium-sized,  broad-shouldered  man,  with  a 
strong  Scotch  face  and  very  keen  eyes.  He  was  a  man 
w^ho  lived  apart  from  the  Lovettsville  people,  buried  in 
his  books.  He  glanced  at  the  boys  a  little  sharpl}^  as  he 
inquired  in  what  manner  he  could  serve  them. 

"  Then  and  there  I  would  have  risen  and  declared 
I  had  made  a  mistake  in  the  house,"  said  Singleton 
Fields  afterwards.  Then  he  held  his  breath,  and  con- 
cluded that  the  Aristocrat  was  a  foolhardy  fellow. 

Alexander  Brown  was  somewhat  excited  when  he  told, 
for  the  second  time  that  day,  the  story  of  Kitty  Burns, 
the  Scotchwoman.  His  cheeks  were  red,  his  eyes  were 
bright,  but  he  never  faltered  in  the  telling.  Very  graph- 
ically he  described  the  cold  little  room,  and  the  Scotch- 
woman with  her  silver  hair,  and  her  soft  eyes,  and  her 
trembling  hands.  He  repeated  the  story  of  the  quilt 
that  had  been  sold,  and  the  pleasure  of  re-spending  the 
twelve  dollars.     He  told  of  the  extravagant  purchase 


THE  MOONBEAM   CLUB.  151 

of  the  doll.  And  after  he  had  done  all  this  Sandy- 
Brown,  quite  out  of  himself  according  to  the  Moon- 
beams, squarely  faced  the  old  Scotchman,  and  repeated 
the  verse :  — 

"  '  It's  ill  to  loose  the  bands  that  God  decreed  to  bind; 

Still  will  we  be  the  children  of  the  heather  and  the  wind. 

Far  away  from  home,  O  it's  still  for  you  and  me 

That  the  broom  is  blowing  bonnie  in  the  north  countrie.' " 

"  Sandy  Brown  is  Scotch  himself,"  said  Singleton 
Fields  apologetically. 

'*  Wild  on  rhyme,"  muttered  Peter. 

Thereupon  Sandy  came  to  himself  and  explained,  with 
a  fresh  nervousness  upon  him,  that  he  and  the  rest  of  the 
boys  had  formed  a  club ;  that  they  called  themselves  the 
Moonbeams  ;  and  that  while  there  was  a  Moonbeam  Club 
in  Lovettsville,  Kitt}^  Burns  should  not  go  to  the  poor- 
house. 

"  Well,"  inquired  Mr.  MacDonald,  "  where  do  I  come 
in?" 

"We  would  like  you  to  help  us,  Mr.  MacDonald," 
said  the  Aristocrat  politely. 

"  We  want  you  to  buy  iron-holders,"  said  Tom  Risley. 

"  Tiiey  are  very  beautiful  iron-holders,"  said  the 
Giant  solemnly;  "hemstitched  and  all  that."' 

"  Am  I  to  give  them  around  to  the  neighbors  ?  "  in- 
quired the  bookworm. 

"That  wouldn't  be  a  bad  idea,  Mr.  MacDonald,"  said 
Sedgwick  ;  "  no  one  would  object  to  receiving  a  present 
of  an  iron-holder." 


152       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  I'd  accept  one  myself,"  said  Peter. 

"  So  would  we  all,"  said  the  Giant. 

Mr.  Andrew  MacDonald  burst  out  laughing. 

When  the  Moonbeams  left  the  big  brick  house,  Sandy- 
Brown  was  in  possession  of  an  envelope,  containing,  he 
hoped,  a  handsome  check. 

''  Open  her  under  the  first  lamp,"  cried  Peter.  "  Mr. 
Andrew  MacDonald  had  a  gleam  in  his  eyes  ;  I'm  scared 
about  the  check.  What  was  it  he  said  to  you  last 
thing,  Sandy  ?  " 

"  That  we  might  have  the  iron-holders,"  answered 
Sandy. 

They  came  to  a  stand-still  under  the  first  lamp,  and 
the  Aristocrat  took  the  check  out  of  the  envelope  and 
unfolded  it. 

"  Well,''  he  cried,  "  guess  how  much  ?  "  There  was 
excitement  in  his  tone ;  the  Moonbeams  did  not  know 
whether  it  was  pleasurable  or  otherwise. 

"Five  dollars,"  said  the  Giant.  "Hold  on,  no; 
twenty-five.  The  old  fellow  was  happy  when  he  wrote 
it." 

"He  didn't  look  that  way  to  me,"  said  Singleton 
Fields.     "I  say  fifty  cents." 

"Not  enough  of  iron-holders  to  go  round,"  growled 
Peter. 

"  One  hundred  and  fifty  dollars!  "  shouted  the  Aris- 
tocrat. 

"  One  hundred  and  fifty  dollars ! "  repeated  the 
Moonbeams  dumbly.     Andrew  Macdonald  had  gladly 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  153 

and  willingly  given  the  money  to  support  liis  country- 
woman for  a  year. 

"  To-morrow,"  said  Peter  Hopwood,  "  we  may  look 
for  the  heavens  to  fall." 

"  Indeed  you  needn't !  "  cried  Singleton  Fields. 


154  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

|ELLO,  Fields  !     Had  a  good  night's  rest  ?  " 
inquired  Tom  Risley. 

''  Eeceived  any  inspiration  this  morning, 
friend  ?  ''  asked  Sedgwick. 

"  j\Iy  heart  is  in  the  highhands,"  answered  Fields. 
"Say,  fellows,"  he  added,  "honestly,  I  can't  think  of 
a  thing.  I  need  help.  Hopwood,  you  originated  the 
club ;  can't  you  give  me  an  idea  how  to  proceed  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  will  be  my  own  night,"  said  Peter. 

"  How  about  the  taffy-pulling?  "  inquired  Risley. 

"  My  mother  wouldn't  have  it  in  the  house,  she's  so 
very  particular ;  besides,  there's  nothing  original  about 
a  taffy -pulling." 

''  Not  original,  maybe,"  said  Risley;  "but  the  stuff  is 
good." 

"  There's  plenty  of  time  for  taffy-pullings,"  said 
Singleton.  "  We  have  the  whole  winter  before  us. 
Some  of  you  fellows  who  have  already  had  your  niglit 
will  have  to  think  of  something  for  next  week.  It 
would  be  that  way  with  a  taffy-pulling,  even  if  motlier 
would  let  me  have  it.  While  I'm  thinkinor  I  want  to 
think  of  something  that  will  last.  I  can't  be  puzzling 
my  brain  every  Friday;  I  can't,  indeed.  I'd  have  to 
quit  being  a  Moonbeam." 


THE  MOONBEAM   CLUB.  155 

"  This  thing  must  be  perpetual,"  said  the  Giant. 

"  Yes,"  said  Fields  soberly,  "  perpetual  for  a  while, 
anyway." 

"Well,  you've  got  to  think,"  said  Peter.  "  Every- 
body who's  had  a  night  has  thought  of  something  with- 
out any  trouble." 

"Peter,  Peter,"  protested  the  Giant. 

"  Well,  you've  thought  of  something  anyway,"  said 
Peter,  "  and  I  know  I've  got  to  think.  If  I  can  think 
of  something.  Singleton  Fields,  I  don't  see  why  you 
can't." 

"  There's  something  in  that,"  said  the  Giant. 

Thereupon  Singleton  Fields  seated  himself  at  his 
desk,  folded  his  arms,  gazed  at  the  class-room  ceiling, 
and  thought  and  thought ;  then  he  gazed  at  the  floor, 
and  thought  and  thought.  After  awhile  his  vision 
strayed  to  the  blackboard,  to  the  principal's  desk,  to 
the  books  scattered  about. 

"My  stars!"  he  cried,  jumping  to  his  feet;  "if  I 
haven't  got  it !  " 

"  Not  a  fit,  I  hope,"  cried  the  Aristocrat,  in  conster- 
nation. 

Singleton's  face  was  ablaze  with  pleasure.  "  It's  per- 
petual too,"  he  explained.  "  I  should  say  it  is.  Why, 
it  can't  help  but  last  a  year." 

"  Is  it  original  ?  "  inquired  Peter. 

"  Well,  it's  original  and  not  original ;  it  all  depends 
upon  the  way  you  look  at  it.  It's  original  enough  for 
this  chicken." 

"  Out  with  it,"  commanded  the  Giant. 


156  SUNBEAMS  A27I)  jrOOXBEAMS. 

"  It  isn't  anything  at  all  like  wood-cutting  or  clean- 
ing the  streets,  or  anything  of  that  kind,"  said  Single- 
ton. 

"  No,"  said  Risley  ;  "  that  wouldn't  be  original  ex- 
actly," 

"  Nor  it  isn't  bu3^ing  iron-holders,  or  visiting  Scotch 
people,  though  it  is  visiting  somebody,  and  that  some- 
body isn't  a  native  of  Lovettsville,  either." 

"  Nor  of  America  ?  "  inquired  the  Giant. 

"  Nor  of  America,"  said  Singleton. 

"  Fields,  Fields,"  said  the  Giant,  "  have  you  been 
stealinor  ideas  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  isn't  from  Scotland,  anyway,"  said  Fields. 

"  I  think  I  know  where  he's  from,"  said  the  Aristo- 
crat ;  "  but  I  don't  understand  what  you  are  going  to 
do." 

"It  isn't  teaching  mathematics,"  said  Singleton,  "but 
it  is  teaching  something.  Well,  it  may  not  be  original 
after  all,  but  it's  original  enough  for  me." 

*'  How  much  longer  are  we  to  be  kept  in  this  dire 
suspense  ?  "  asked  Sedgwick. 

"  The  person  I  mean,  who  isn't  from  Scotland,  is  from 
France,"  explained  Singleton.  "He  is  Monsieur —  I 
can't  think  of  his  other  name.    He  boards  at  the  liotel." 

"  His  other  name  is  Devereux,"  said  the  Aristocrat. 

"  Glory  !  "•  exclaimed  Peter. 
.    "  Well  and  good,  as  far  as  the  story  goes,"  said  the 
Giant. 

"  Monsieur  Devereux,  so  the  report  says,"  continued 
Fields,  "came  to  Lovettsville  to  learn  English,  thinking 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  157 

he  could  master  tlie  language  better  in  a  small  place 
where  he  could  mingle  with  the  people.  Well,  he 
hasn't  learned  how  to  mingle  with  the  people,  and  he's 
worried  in  liis  mind.  He's  afraid  he  is  not  going  '  ever 
for  to  learn  how  to  spick  ze  American  tongue.'  " 

"  Well,"  demanded  Tom  Risley,  ''  are  we  going  in  a 
body,  and  advise  him  to  leave  Lovettsville,  and  forget 
it?" 

"Lovettsville  isn't  such  a  very  small  place,  either," 
said  Sedgwick. 

"We  are  going  to  him  in  a  body,"  said  Singleton, 
"and  offer  to  help  him  learn  the  American  language. 
It  w^on't  hurt  any  of  us  j  it  will  only  be  acting  a  neigh- 
borly part,  and  the  part  of  a  Moonbeam." 

"  But  do  you  think  we'll  be  able  to  teach  English  to 
Monsieur  Devereux  ?  "  inquired  John  Sedgwick. 

"He  may  not  be  as  dumb  as  he  looks,"  answered 
Singleton  ;  "  and  we  can  take  all  winter  to  it.  Now,  this 
is  my  idea  ^'  — 

"  If  Monsieur  is  as  proud  as  he  looks,  or,  indeed,  half 
as  proud  as  he  looks,  he  may  refuse  to  have  anything 
to  do  w^th  our  gratis  instructions;  what  then?"  de- 
manded Peter. 

"Let  the  Moonbeam  speak  for  his  night,"  ordered 
the  Giant. 

"  We  are  to  give  Monsieur  lessons  in  English,  and 
he  is  to  give  us  lessons  in  French.  Perhaps  we'll  even 
learn  the  French  accent,"  cried  Singleton  cheerfully. 

The  Moonbeams  cheered  vociferously. 

"  Good-morning,  sir,"  said  the  Aristocrat,  bowing  low 


158  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

to  an  imaginary  personage.  "  You  are  ^vell,  I  hope, 
this  morning?  I  am  not  very  vrell,  thank  you.  —  And 
you,  sir,  how  are  you?  I  am  better,  thank  you.  How 
is  your  brother?" 

''  Good-evening,  sir,"  said  Sedgwick,  also  bowing  to 
the  imaginary  personage,  and  laying  his  hand  upon  his 
heart  in  the  manner  of  an  old  beau.  "  Which  inkstand 
has  the  stranger  ?  He  has  that  of  the  sailor.  —  Has  the 
sailor  my  looking-glass  ?  He  has  it  not.  I  have  it.  — 
Have  you  this  pistol  or  that  one  ?  I  have  this  one.  No, 
no,  no,  sir.  —  Has  he  that  grocer's  old  handkerchief? 
He  has  not  that  of  the  grocer,  he  has  the  sailor's. 
Mark  the  apostrophe.  Monsieur." 

"My  dear  6Z??ii,"  inquired  Peter  blandly,  "have  not 
the  two  big  Italians  our  pretty  thread  gloves  ?  What 
are  they  doing  with  them  ?  Are  they  going  to  drive  a 
fractious  American  horse  in  our  pretty  thread  gloves  ? 
Which  ships  have  the  Germans  ?  Have  the  Turks  any 
steel  guns  ?  Has  the  Spaniard  the  pretty  umbrella  of 
the  German?  The  Lovettsville  boys  have  no  mutton, 
but  they  have  some  birds  and  chickens."' 

"  I  should  say  it  would  take  a  good  j^ear  to  teach 
him,"  said  Risley,  "  even  if  he  isn't  quite  as  stupid  as 
he  looks." 

"  Monsieur  Devereux,  sir,  you  have  fine  eyes,  ai'd 
hands  like  a  mademoiselle,"  said  Peter.  "  How  long 
wdll  it  take  you  to  master  the  English  language?" 

"  How  long  do  you  fellows  think  it  will  take  the 
Frenchman  to  teach  us  his  language,  correct  accent,  and 
all  that?  "  inquired  the  Giant,  with  a  laugh  in  his  ej^es. 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  159 

"  Glory !  three  years,"  cried  Peter. 

"  It's  not  by  any  means  an  easy  thing  to  learn  a  for- 
eign language,"  said  tlie  Aristocrat. 

"  Frenchmen  are  polite,"  said  Singleton ;  "  Monsieur 
Devereux  ^yon  t  laugh  at  our  mistakes." 

"  I  should  say  not,"  cried  Peter,  "  when  he's  making 
mistakes  of  his  own." 

"  If  he  doesn't  laugh  at  ours  we'll  not  laugh  at  his," 
said  the  Giant. 

"  We're  not  going  to  follow  any  of  the  old-time 
methods,"  said  Singleton.  ''  I've  tried  to  learn  French 
with  a  book  too  often.  I  can't  stand  anything  like 
that.  If  we  go  into  the  thing  we've  got  to  go  into 
it  right." 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  Giant. 

"  We'll  teach  and  be  taught  by  the  Berlitz  method, 
only  even  easier;  we're  not  to  have  any  books  at  all. 
You  all  hear  ?  " 

"  We'll  not  quarrel  about  that,"  said  the  Aristocrat. 

"  Glory,  no  !  "  cried  Peter. 

"  I  think  the  Frenchman  might  be  allowed  to  have  a 
book,"  said  Sedgwick.  "  He'll  go  back  if  he's  idle  all 
the  week." 

"  He  can  have  a  dictionary  and  the  newspaper,"  said 
Fields.  "  That's  the  way  to  learn  a  language.  Whew  ! 
won't  he  read  funny  things  out  of  the  American  news- 
paper for  a  while." 

"  He'll  be  glad  to  have  something  to  do,  I've  no 
doubt,"  said  the  Aristocrat.  ''I've  been  pitying  him 
ever  since  he  came  to  Lovettsville." 


160       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  At  what  hour  are  we  to  break  in  upon  the  gentle- 
man's reveries  ?  "  inquired  the  Giant. 

"  Eight  o'clock  sharp,"  said  Singleton. 

"  I  hope  5^ou  will  explain  the  errand  delicately,"  said 
Risley.  "  From  what  I've  seen  of  Monsieur  I  should 
say  he  was  something  of  a  high-flyer." 

Singleton  looked  scared.  "  Why,  we're  all  going  to 
explain,"  he  said.  "  It's  my  night,  of  course  ;  but  we're 
all  of  us  Moonbeams." 

"  Every  mother's  son  of  us,"  said  Peter;  ''but  for  all 
that  you're  the  Moonbeam  to  explain  our  errand  to 
Monsieur,  the  high-flyer." 

"  Each  of  us  can  say  '  ho7i  soir '  to  your  friend,"  said 
Risley. 

"  We  can  do  better  than  that,"  said  the  Giant.  "  We 
can  each  learn  a  sentence  according  to  the  old  approved 
exercise-book  method,  and  say  it  off  to  Monsieur  after 
he  bids  us  '  Entrez:  " 

"  I'll  say  '  Thank  you,'  when  he  bids  us  take  a  seat 
and  sit  down,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"Well,"  said  Singleton  resignedly,  "I  suppose  I'll 
have  to  explain  our  mission.  It's  good  it's  Friday  night. 
I  say,  you  fellows,  suppose  you  come  to  my  house 
directly  after  dinner,  and  help  me  get  ready  for  the 
ordeal." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  Moonbeams. 

"It's  a  pity  Monsieur  Devereux  doesn't  know  the 
blessing  in  store  for  him,"  said  the  Aristocrat. 

"  He  might  get  a  fit,"  said  Sedgwick.  "  I  hope  the 
unexpected  pleasure  wdll  not  overcome  him.     No,  sir,  I 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB,  161 

have  not  the  handkerchief  of  my  mother;  I  have  my 
own  handkerchief,  and  I  mean  to  keep  it." 

"  We  must  study  our  own  little  sentences,  and  be 
ready  to  rattle  them  off,"  said  Risley.  "John  Sedg- 
wick, you've  got  to  do  more  than  say  '  Thank  you.'  " 

"  I'll  take  the  seat,  and  sit  down,"  said  John. 

At  eight  o'clock  tliat  evening  the  Moonbeams  stood 
in  the  hotel  corridor  outside  Monsieur  Devereux's  room, 
waiting  an  invitation  to  enter.  When  the  invitation 
was  given.  Singleton  Fields  declared  he  felt  like  bolting 
down  the  stairs,  whereupon  the  Giant  promptly  put  him 
to  the  fore,  and  opened  the  door. 

*'  Bon  soir,  Monsieur  Devei^eux^ "  said  each  and  every 
Moonbeam  politely. 

"  Bon  so{)\  Messieurs^^''  responded  the  Frenchman. 

"What  next?"  demanded  Singleton,  turning  upon 
the  Giant. 

"  Next  he's  got  to  ask  us  to  sit  down,"  said  Peter. 

A  glimmer  of  a  smile  came  into  the  dreamy  eyes  of 
Monsieur  Devereux ;  and  he  bowed  and  said,  "  Prenez- 
vous  siege  et  asseyez-voiisy 

"  Exercise  French,  every  word  of  it,"  muttered  Sedg- 
wick ;  then  he  said  blithely  :  — 

"  Je  vous  r enter ciey 

"  Now  each  of  us  gets  off  his  sentence,  and  then  you 
go  ahead,  Fields,"  said  the  Aristocrat. 

The  Frenchman  smiled  brightly,  and  said,  "  Oui^  oui, 
Monsieur,'''  when  the  Giant  asked  him  if  he  had  passed 
a  good  niglit. 

"  You  are  well,  I  hope  ?  "  questioned  Tom  Risley. 


162       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  Do  you  like  the  American  town  of  Lovettsville  ?  " 
inquired  the  Aristocrat. 

''  What  time  is  it  by  your  clock?  "  said  Peter  affably. 

To  each  and  all  of  these  sentences  the  Frenchman 
bowed,  and  said,  "  Oui^  oui.  Monsieur.'''' 

''  He  doesn't  even  understand  his  own  language," 
muttered  Peter.  ''I'm  afraid  we've  a  difficult  task 
before  us." 

"  Let  us  hope  for  the  best,"  said  the  Giant.  "Now, 
Fields,  out  with  number  one." 

Number  one  was  a  long  sentence.  Fields  had  to  be 
prompted  several  times.  It  explained  matters  pretty 
cleverly.  "  We  wish  to  understand  the  French  lan- 
guage," said  Singleton,  "and  we  hear  that  you  wish 
to  learn  the  English  language,  sir.  First  we  will  go 
for  the  English,  and  then  we  will  go  for  the  French." 

"  Oui^  Old,  Old,  Monsieur,^''  said  the  Frenchman,  bow- 
ing.    Interest  shone  in  his  eyes. 

"  Now  go  ahead  with  number  two,"  said  the  Giant; 
"  about  no  exercises,  you  know." 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  said  Singleton.  He  fixed  his  gaze  upon 
Monsieur,  and  said  gravely,  "We  will  not  learn  the 
exercise." 

The  Frenchman  burst  into  a  pleased  laugh,  in  which 
the  Moonbeams  joined. 

"  Oh,  pshaw  !  "  cried  Singleton,  "  I've  forgotten  num- 
ber three.  I  was  just  about  to  ask  him  if  he  had  the 
farmer's  chickens." 

"  Number  three  is  the  Berlitz  Method.  See  how  he 
receives  that,"  said  the  Aristocrat. 


TUE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  163 

"  We  teach  the  Berlitz  i\Ietliod,"  said  Singleton. 

"  No  exercise  book,"  said  Peter  in  plain  English,  but 
in  a  very  explanatory  voice.  ''  Berlitz  Method,  easy, — 
boy  walk,  boy  run,  boy  open  the  door." 

''  Qui,  Old,  Monsieur,'''  said  the  Frenchman  politely. 

The  Giant  rose  to  his  feet.  ''  Use  me  for  an  illustra- 
tion," he  said. 

"Boy  walk,"  said  Singleton.  "- Comprenez-vous? 
Boy  walk,  boy  walk." 

"  Boy  walk,"  repeated  the  Frenchman,  his  face  light- 
ing up. 

"  Boy  run,"  said  Peter. 

"  Boy  run,"  repeated  Monsieur. 

"  Large  boy  walk,"  said  Singleton. 

"  Large,  grand,'''  explained  the  Aristocrat. 

"  Large  boy  walk,"  cried  Monsieur,  in  delight. 

"Large  boy  run,"  said  Tom  Risley. 

"  Large  boy  run,"  said  Monsieur ;  but  he  buried  his 
face  in  his  hands,  while  the  Moonbeams  laughed  outright. 

"  Large  boy  goes  out  the  door,"  said  John  Sedgwick ; 
and  the  Frenchman  repeated  the  sentence.  He  spoke 
clearly  and  distinctly,  to  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
his  listeners. 

"He'll  learn  in  no  time,  if  he  keeps  on,"  said  Peter. 
"  I  wish  I  had  the  French  accent  as  good  as  he's  got  the 
Eno-lish." 

"  We  haven't  any  English  accent ;  there's  where  he's 
got  the  advantage  of  us,"  said  Risley. 

"  Large  boy  comes  in  the  door !  "  exclaimed  Singleton  ; 
and  the  French  lesson  continued. 


164       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

The  large  boy  did  all  sorts  of  things  during  the  next 
half  hour  :  lie  wept ;  he  laughed ;  he  whistled ;  he  sang 
a  comic  song ;  he  danced  a  jig ;  he  studied  his  exercise  ; 
he  wrote  with  a  pencil  and  with  a  pen  ;  lie  played  the 
piano  on  the  table ;  he  stretched  himself  out  on  Mon- 
sieur's couch ;  he  rose,  rang  the  bell,  and  ordered  break- 
fast. 

Each  boy  had  a  turn  at  the  breakfast  that  the  Giant 
ordered;  and  the  English  lesson  progressed  with  the 
sentences  :  — 

"  The  boy  cuts  his  food  with  his  knife." 

"  The  boy  eats  his  food  with  his  fork." 

"  The  American  beef  is  tough." 

"  The  boy  likes  the  salad  very  much." 

"  The  boy  puts  butter  on  his  bread." 

"  The  boy  eats  very  fast." 

"  Now  the  boy  eats  more  slowly." 

After  this  useful  breakfast  the  waiter  was  called,  the 
dishes  carried  away,  and  Singleton,  turning  to  Monsieur, 
bowed,  and  said  in  Monsieur's  language  with  the  funny 
American  accent,  "  Now  we  go  for  the  French." 

Monsieur  Devereux  understood  and  smiled.  Then 
he  examined  the  boys  criticalh'.  '^ Petit  gargon^'''  he 
said  finally,  looking  down  at  Peter's  short  trousers. 

The  Moombeams  cheered. 

The  ijetit  gargon  made  things  meriy  during  the  next 
half  hour.  He  stood  on  his  head,  he  turned  somer- 
saults, he  blew  out  the  gas,  and  there  was  quite  a  rum- 
pus before  it  was  re-lit ;  he  lay  on  the  Frenchman's  couch 
and   snored    horribly.     The  Moonbeams   repeated   the 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  165 

Fi-ench  sentences  after  Monsieur,  and  concluded  they'd 
be  sure  in  time  to  catch  the  proper  accent. 

When  the  Frenchman's  lesson  came  to  an  end,  the 
Moonbeams  stood  about  Monsieur,  all  of  them  talldng. 
Monsieur  talked  rapidly  in  French,  gesticulating  and 
making  grimaces  ;  and  the  boys  talked  rapidly  in  Eng- 
lish, making  grimaces  and  gesticulating.  Then  the 
Moonbeams  hauled  Singleton  to  the  fore ;  and  together 
they  concocted  sentences  for  him,  explaining  that 
every  Friday  night  this  delightful  lesson  was  to  take 
place. 

"  First  we  go  for  French  and  then  we  go  for  English, 
every  Friday  night,"  said  Singleton. 

"  OiiU  Old,'''  agreed  Monsieur. 

Then  Monsieur  shook  hands  with  the  Moonbeams,  and 
each  of  them  said,  "  Bon  jour,''''  repeating  it  after  Mon- 
sieur so  as  to  catch  the  proper  accent. 

"Never  had  a  jollier  time  in  all  my  life,"  said  the 
Aristocrat,  as  he  accompanied  the  rest  of  the  Moon- 
beams to  the  street. 

"  The  Frenchman's  a  brick,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"Sharp  as  a  razor,"  said  Risley. 

"I  think  he'll  learn  English  in  no  time,"  said  Sedg- 
wick. "  I  must  say,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  the  English  lan- 
guage is  mighty  eas}^  to  learn." 

"  But  remember  the  Frenchman's  smart." 

"  How  about  the  American  ?  "  inquired  the  Giant. 

"  Oh !  the  Americans  are  all  right,"  cried  several  of 
the  Moonbeams  together. 

"  Only  the  petit  gargon  is  feeling  a  little  bad,"  said 


166       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

the  Giant,  casting  an  affectionate  glance  at  Peter  Hop- 
wood,  as  he  walked  along  looking  down  at  the  pave- 
ment. 

"No,  I'm  not,"  cried  Peter.     "I'm  sure  to  think  of 
something." 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  167 


CHAPTER   VII. 

jATURDAY  morning,  at  about  ten  o'clock, 
Peter  Hopwood  prepared  to  depart  from  his 
father's  house ;  it  being  his  intention  to  call 
at  the  homes  of  the  other  five  Moonbeams, 
and  leave  a  message  to  the  effect  that  at  one  o'clock 
P.  M.,  sharp,  each  and  every  Moonbeam  must  show  up  at 
his,  Peter's,  abode,  and  help  arrange  preliminaries  for 
the  remaining  night  of  the  auspicious  week.  But  when 
Peter  closed  the  street-door  upon  himself  he  cried  out, 
"  I  say,  are  you  after  me  ?  "  for  there,  before  the  house, 
were  the  other  five  Moonbeams. 

"Yes,"  said  the  Giant,  "  we  are  after  you." 

"Well,"  said  Peter,  "I  was  just  coming  after  you." 

"  Glad  to  hear  it,"  said  Sedgwick.  "Proves  that  we 
haven't  been  too  expeditious." 

"Is  the  idea  clever,  original,  truly  helpful,  and  all 
that?"  inquired  Singleton. 

"  Worthy  the  brain  of  a  Moonbeam  ?  "  asked  the  Aris- 
tocrat. 

"  Oh,  come  !  "  said  Peter ;  "  you  fellows  would  die  if 
you  couldn't  poke  fun  at  somebody." 

"  Come  into  the  parlor  ?  "  inquired  the  Giant. 

"I'm  not  going  to  tell  you  a  thing  until  this  after- 
noon," cried  Peter.     "  I  was  just  starting  out  to  tell  you 


168  SUNBEA3fS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

that  I  want  you  all  to  congregate  here  at  my  house  at 
one  o'clock  sharp." 

"And  now  I  suppose  we  must  go  away,"  said  Risley. 

"  Oh,  you  may  come  in  if  you  wish!  "  said  Peter. 

''We  will  oro  in,"  said  the  Giant. 

The  Moonbeams  seated  themselves  around  the  Hop- 
wood  parlor,  and  each  and  every  one  of  them  gazed 
solemnly  at  Peter. 

"Peter,  Peter,  pumpkin-eater, 
Had  a  secret  and  couldn't  keep  her," 

said  Sedgwick,  in  a  tone  of  hearty  approval. 

"Mind  not  the  pleasantries  of  the  Moonbeam,  mon 
ami^'^  said  the  Aristocrat  soothingly,  "  for  once  upon  a 
time,  so  runs  the  fable,  Peter  the  Great  was  Peter  the 
GarQon." 

"  Peter,  deliver  thyself  of  thy  thought,"  pleaded  the 
Giant;  "we  are  only  human." 

"  Well,  I'm  human  too,"  said  Peter ;  "  and  I'm  not 
going  to  tell  a  thing  about  it  until  one  o'clock  this  after- 
noon. I'll  give  you  fellows  a  little  advice,  though ; 
you'd  better  be  saving  up  your  strength  for  to-night." 

"  Hear !     Hear  !  "  cried  Risley,  clapping  his  hands. 

"  For  what  must  we  save  up  our  strength?  "  questioned 
Sedgwick.     "  The  problem  perplexes  me  mightily." 

"  Say,"  inquired  Peter,  staring  hard  at  the  other  boys, 
"do  you  fellows  care  if  I  have  my  night  in  the  after- 
noon? " 

"  No  !  "  roared  the  Moonbeams. 

"  On  the  contrary,  the  novelty  of  the  thing  appeals  to 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  169 

US,"  said  the  Aristocrat.  "  Some  of  us  have  lived  for 
over  eighteen  years,  but  none  of  us  have  ever  seen  a 
nisfht  in  the  afternoon." 

"  oil,  well !  "  said  Peter,  "  you  know  what  I  mean." 

'^  Are  we  to  come  prepared  for  action  when  we  meet 
at  one  o'clock  ?  "  inquired  Singleton  Fields. 

"No,"  said  Peter;  "we're  just  to  talk  things  over. 
There's  no  use  in  being  in  a  tremendous  hurry ;  more 
hurry  less  speed,  you  know.  I'll  tell  you,  when  we 
arrange  matters,  if  you're  to  bring  anything." 

"  His  mighty  brain  conceals  the  secret  well,"  cried 
the  Aristocrat. 

"  Peter,  Peter,"  protested  the  Giant,  "  art  thou  kind 
to  thy  brothers  ?  " 

"  At  what  hour  in  the  afternoon  does  the  romantic 
night  begin?"  asked  Singleton. 

"  At  three  o'clock,"  said  Peter  bluntly. 

"  He  has  everything  arranged,"  exclaimed  the  Aristo- 
crat, holding  up  his  hands.  "  The  petit  gargon  must 
have  remained  awake  all  night." 

"  I  did  tliink  of  it  last  night,"  acknowledged  Peter ; 
"  but  it  was  before  I  went  to  bed.  Say,  I  want  to  ask 
you  fellows  something." 

The  Moonbeams  leaned  forward  in  breathless  atten- 
tion, the  Giant  put  his  hand  behind  his  ear. 

But  Peter's  gaze  was  fastened  upon  the  portrait  of  his 
grandfather  on  the  wall  opposite  to  him.  "  Do  you 
care,"  he  inquired,  "  if  I  ask  some  other  people  to  help 
us?" 

"How  can  we  care  ?"  returned  the  Giant  solemnly. 


170  SUXBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  Have  not  some  of  the  rest  of  us  asked  other  people 
to  help  us  ?  " 

''  But,  Peter,  darling,  don't  ask  us  to  cut  wood  or 
haul  water  on  Saturday,"  pleaded  Risley.  ''  Remember 
always  that  Saturday  is  the  schoolboy's  play-day." 

"  The  gargon  is  kind-hearted  and  generous,"  muttered 
Risley. 

"  Are  we  to  arrange  with  the  other  fellows  after  one 
o'clock  or  previous  thereto  ?"  inquired  the  Giant. 

Then  Peter  Hopwood  confounded  the  rest  of  the 
Moonbeams  by  demanding,  "  Who  said  anj^thing  about 
any  other  fellows  ?  " 

"  Our  friend  is  going  to  give  a  taffy -pulling,  and 
invite  the  town,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"Peter,"  said  the  Giant,  "you  had  better  make  a 
clean  breast  of  it." 

"  I  won't,"  declared  Peter.  "  Til  tell  you  all  about  it 
at  one  o'clock,  and  not  before.  If  you  choose  to  stay 
till  then  I  suppose  my  mother  will  give  you  some  lunch, 
but  Pm  not  going  to  talk  any  more  about  my  night  this 
morning.  Say,  the  weather  is  beautiful,  isn't  it?  How 
long  do  3'ou  think  we'll  have  sleighing  ?  " 

"  The  weather  is  all  right,"  said  the  Giant,  rising 
to  his  feet.  "  Good-by,  Peter,  my  boy,  till  we  see  you 
again." 

"  Good-by,"  said  Peter.     "  One  o'clock,  sharp." 

At  one  o'clock  sharp  the  Moonbeams  returned.  Each 
boy  had  prepared  a  sentence  to  hurl  at  the  head  of  the 
petit  gargon.  The  maid  who  opened  the  door  to  them 
said  afterwards  to  the  cook  that  it  was  all  she  could  do 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  171 

to  keep  from  "  bustin'  out  laffin.  You  could  see  the 
mischief  in  their  faces,  and  there  in  the  parlor  was  Mr. 
Peter  a-layin'  fer  'em." 

The  five  carefully  prepared  sentences  were  never 
uttered ;  indeed,  they  were  entirely  forgotten  in  the 
surprise  that  awaited  the  Moonbeams  in  Peter's  parlor. 
Six  girls  bowed  and  smiled  to  them  as  they  entered ; 
they  were  in  the  presence  of  that  higlily  respected 
organization,  the  Sunbeam  Club  of  Lovettsville. 

"  This  is  very  pleasant,"  said  the  Giant,  in  his  big, 
cheerful  voice.  Then  he  looked  at  young  Hopwood, 
and  cried  out,  "  Where  has  he  gone  to  ?  " 

"  Who  ?  "  demanded  Peter,  blushing  tremendously. 

"  The  petit  gargony 

"  Oh,  pshaw  !  "  cried  Peter. 

"  It  is  his  birthday,  and  he  never  told  us,"  cried  Sedg- 
wick. 

"Young  ladies,  excuse  our  state  of  bewilderment," 
said  the  Aristocrat,  making  a  bow ;  "  but  the  truth  is, 
that  our  friend  Peter  has  very  suddenly  gone  into  long 
trousers." 

But  young  Hopwood  did  not  deign  to  explain  whether 
or  not  it  was  his  birthday.  "  When  there's  order,"  he 
said,  "  we'll  proceed  to  business." 

Instantly  the  Moonbeams  were  rigid,  and  Peter  waited 
considerately  until  the  Sunbeams  finished  laughing. 

"  You  see,"  he  said,  "  I  thought  with  all  my  might ;  I 
began  it  as  soon  as  we  left  the  hotel,  but  I  couldn't 
think  of  anything  for  a  long  time,  except  that  Saturda}^ 
was  a  pretty  bad  day  for  a  Moonbeam,  and  I  wished 


172       SUNBEAMS  AXB  MOONBEAMS. 

most  heartily  that  I  had  drawn  Monday  instead.  After 
that  I  fell  to  wondering  if  the  Sunbeam  who  had  Satur- 
day had  felt  worried  over  it ;  and  then  I  thought  of 
Baby  Day,  and  I  knew  that  in  the  end  she  must  have 
been  glad  that  Saturday  had  fallen  to  her  lot.  Sister 
Sunbeams,"  cried  Peter,  with  a  wave  of  his  hands  that 
was  very  impressive,  "  won't  you  please  tell  us  all  about 
the  origin  of  Baby  Day  ?  " 

"It  was  Carrie's  plan,"  said  Annie  Winthrop.  "I 
don't  believe  anybody-  else  would  have  thought  of  it. 
Papa  thinks  that  Baby  Day  is  delicious." 

"  It  is,"  said  the  Giant  approvingly. 

"  The  idea  came  to  Carrie  quite  suddenly,"  explained 
Effie  Dorcus  ;  "  and  for  a  while  she  was  afraid  it  could 
not  be  carried  out,  because,  you  see,  she  wanted  all  of 
the  Sunbeams  to  be  interested,  and  we  haven't  any  baby 
at  our  house.  Then  she  asked  me  if  I  couldn't  borrow 
Ferdie.  I  did  borrow  Ferdie,  and  I've  been  borrowing 
him  ever  since." 

*'Baby  Day  began  with  the  children  at  home,"  said 
Carrie,  her  expressive  eyes  smiling  upon  the  Moon- 
beams. "  I  thought,  you  know,  that  if  Ave  were  the 
right  kind  of  Sunbeams  we'd  have  to  be  good  to  our 
little  brothers  and  sisters ;  and  afterwards  other  girls 
brought  the  little  children  to  the  park,  and  all  the  babies 
l)ecame  acquainted ;  that's  how  everybody  came  to  call 
Saturday,  Baby  Day." 

"  Yes,"  said  jNladge  Hilton,  "  the  children  of  Lovetts- 
ville  regard  Saturday  as  their  day.  Mamma  says  she 
thinks  it  is  a  very  pretty  idea." 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  173 

"  It  is  a  pretty  idea,"  said  the  Aristocrat. 

"Never  heard  of  any  prettier  idea,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  We  have  turned  our  garret  into  a  sort  of  a  hall," 
said  Lula  Briggs,  her  face  alight.  "  Rose  and  I  thought 
of  it  one  day.  Any  small  individual  who  behaves  it- 
self is  welcome  there  on  Saturday  afternoon  when  it's 
too  bad  to  be  out.  We  send  the  naughty  ones  home. 
They  romp  and  play  and  have  a  glorious  time,  and  they 
are  very  seldom  naught3^" 

"Yes,  Mrs.  Briggs's  garret  is  enormous,"  said  Rose ; 
"and  formerly  it  was  of  no  earthly  use." 

"  I  think  that  Baby  Day  has  made  ever  so  many 
people  kinder  to  our  little  people,"  said  Madge. 

For  several  seconds  some  one  had  been  diligently  rap- 
ping upon  the  lower  panel  of  the  parlor  door.  When 
Madge  Hilton  said  that  Baby  Day  had  made  ever  so 
many  people  kinder  to  the  Lovettsville  little  people, 
Peter  Hopwood  crossed  the  parlor  and  opened  the 
door,  and  there  came  into  the  room  a  diminutive  Peter, 
with  a  round,  good-natured  face  and  deep-set  blue 
eyes. 

''  Sit  down  there  in  the  corner  and  be  a  good  boy," 
said  Peter  affectionately ;  "  we'll  not  drive  you  out  as 
long  as  you  behave  yourself." 

Peter's  little  brother  smiled  complacently,  and  quietly 
seated  himself  on  a  stool  in  the  corner. 

"  Yes,"  said  young  Hopwood,  ''  of  course  everybody 
ought  to  be  good  to  children  ;  and  we  certainly  should, 
by  all  means,  be  good  to  the  children  at  home.  Yes, 
Wally,  Brother  sees  your  new  horsey  reins,  but  he's  busy 


174       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

now.     Baby  Day  is  to  remain  Baby  Day  and  be  nothing 

else." 

"  If  we  haven't  any  children  at  home,  what  are  we  to 
do  then?"  inquired  the  Aristocrat. 

"  Then,"  said  Peter,  "you  must  do  as  a  Sunbeam  has 
already  done,  —  you  must  borrow  from  somebody  else." 

"  I  believe  I  could  manage  to  borrow  a  young  one  all 
right,"  said  Sandy,  "  but  what  to  do  with  it  after  I  bor- 
rowed it,  aye,  there's  the  rub." 

The  Sunbeams  laughed  merrily. 

"Explain  yourself  more  fully,  Mr.  Hopwood,"  said 
Singleton. 

"  I  believe  the  Sunbeams  are  in  the  secret,"  said  the 
Giant. 

"  We  are  !  "  cried  the  Sunbeams. 

"  We  think  it's  deliglitf ul,"  added  Rose  Thompson  ; 
"and  we  thank  Peter  very  much  for  asking  us  to  help." 

"  We're  the  ones  to  be  thankful,"  declared  Peter. 

"Yes,  of  course,"  said  tlie  Giant,  "we  are  the  ones 
to  be  thankful." 

"  Only  we  are  dying  to  know  what  for,"  said  Single- 
ton Fields. 

"  Well,"  said  Peter,  "  we're  to  do  what  we  can  towards 
enlivening  the  Lovettsville  national  weekly  holiday,  at 
least  it  ought  to  be  national  if  it  isn't.  To-day,  as  there 
is  snow  on  the  ground,  we're  to  go  out  to  Mr.  Ruling's 
liill  with  all  the  sleds  and  all  the  babies  and  have  a 
lively  time." 

"  Oh !  "  cried  the  little  Hopwood  in  the  corner,  and 
he  brought  his  feet  togetlier  with  a  clap  of  approval. 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB,  175 

"  Isn't  it  delightful  ?  "  cried  Effie  Dorcus. 

"  Delightful !  "  cried  the  Moonbeams. 

"It  is  perfectly  safe  coasting  out  on  Mr.  Ruling's 
hill,"  said  Madge.  "Even  the  small  babies  can  have 
a  turn  or  two." 

''  We  are  going  to  collect  the  children,  you  know," 
said  Rose  Thompson,  turning  to  the  Moonbeans,  "and 
you  are  to  get  the  sleds.  You  can  bring  them  to  the 
different  corners  of  the  town;  everybody  will  be 
ready.  We  can  get  the  news  about  Lovettsville  in 
an  hour." 

"  And  you  are  to  get  help  too,"  said  Carrie  excitedly^ 
addressing  the  Moonbeams  ;  "  like  you  did  for  the  wood- 
cutting and  cleaning  the  streets.  Didn't  you  say  so, 
Peter?" 

"Ah  !  "  said  the  Giant,  "  thank  you.  I  am  glad  that 
Peter  the  Great  has  relented ;  and  we  are  to  be  allowed 
to  look  about  for  a  few  other  fellows." 

"  You  got  me  all  in  a  muddle  this  morning,"  said 
Peter.  "Certainly  we've  got  to  engage  the  other 
fellows." 

"  The  sooner  the  better,"  said  Effie  brightly.  "  Come 
on,  girls." 

"  Tommy  Engle  will  be  perfectly  delighted,"  ex- 
claimed Carrie,  as  the  Sunbeams  hastened  away. 

"  Girls  have  a  lot  of  go  in  them,"  said  the  Aristocra-t 
admiringly.  "  The  petit  gargon  wasn't  stupid  to  think 
of  combining  the  clubs." 

"  No,  he  wasn't  stupid,"  repeated  Risley. 

"  We'd  better  start  out  too,"  said  Singleton.     ^'  Come 


176       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

along,  Hopwood;  we  haven't  even  time  to  admire  your 
new  trousers." 

For  which  Peter  Hopwood,  it  is  needless  to  say,  was 
deeply  thankful. 

The  Giant  broke  into  a  run. 

"Where  are  you  bound  for,  Scott?"  demanded  the 
Aristocrat. 

"  You  fellows  know  how  to  canvass  the  place  for 
help,"  said  the  Giant,  pausing  for  an  instant;  "  I'm  going 
for  my  fice-dog,  and  he  and  I  will  assist  tlie  Sunbeams 
in  gathering  together  the  Lovettsville  young  ones." 

"All  right,"  cried  the  Moonbeams. 

Never  in  Lovettsville  was  there  such  an  exciting 
Baby  Day  as  that  upon  which  the  Moonbeams  and  Sun- 
beams joined  forces  in  order  to  give  every  small  individ- 
ual in  the  place  a  sled-ride  down  Mr.  Ruling's  hill. 

"I  declare  to  goodness!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Engle, 
"  mai/  they  go  to  coast  down  Rulin's  hill  ?  Yes,  Mary, 
you  can  wear  your  red  hood,  and  Betty  can  have  her 
new  mittens.  But  you  girls  is  large  enough  to  tend  to 
your  own  wants;  I've  got  Tomni}^  and  Bobby  on  my 
hands.  No,  Tommy,  you  can't  wear  your  blue  pants 
a-sleddin' ;  pants  has  to  be  darned  '  fore  they's  fit  for 
sleddin'.  Land  sakes  I  ef  Bobby  ain't  all  in  a  sweat 
of  excitement.  I'm  getting  you  into  your  josey,  baby, 
just  as  quick  as  ever  lean.  Here,  Betty,  take  him  by 
the  hand,  and  the  whole  of  you  go  and  wait  by  the 
front  winder." 

"We  must  holler  at  the  first  sled  we  see,"  said 
Tommy  Engle,  his  eyes  as  round  as  saucers. 


THE  MOONBEAM   CLUB,  177 

"People  must  mind  their  manners,"  said  Betty,  "or 
they'll  get  sent  home." 

Cargo  after  cargo  of  happy  human  beings  found  its 
way  to  Ruling's  hill  on  that  bright,  crisp  afternoon. 
Peter  Hop  wood  had  first  thouglit  of  Baby  Day  and  then 
of  Rulino-'s  hill.     There  could  not  have  been  a  better 

o 

combination,  unless,  indeed,  it  was  the  combination 
formed  by  the  Sunbeam  and  the  Moonbeam  Clubs. 

The  Sunbeams,  with  numerous  efficient  assistants, 
looked  after  the  well-being  of  the  children ;  and  the 
Moonbeams,  with  numerous  efficient  assistants,  guided 
the  big  sleds  down  the  hill,  and  cheerfully  hauled  them 
back,  allowing  the  lightest  weights  to  ride  up  the  hill. 
Every  now  and  then  a  Sunbeam  and  her  assistant 
accompanied  a  load,  carefully  holding  the  merry  babies 
whose  day  every  one  was  enjoying  so  hugely. 

There  was  a  very  interested  spectator  to  the  coasting 
on  the  hill.  Monsieur  Devereux  stood  at  the  starting- 
point,  lending  a  helping  hand  to  the  Sunbeams  now 
and  then,  listening  attentively  to  the  American  talk 
and  the  American  laughter. 

"Fine  time.  Monsieur,"  said  Singleton,  preparing  to 
guide  the  biggest  sled  on  the  ground. 

"Fine  load,  oui^  oui,'*  said  the  Frenchman. 

"Little  girl  turn?"  inquired  Monsieur  by  and  by, 
with  his  hand  upon  the  arm  of  Mary  Engle. 

He  stepped  aside  and  smiled  complacently  as  the 
little  girl  was  loaded  on. 

"Snow,  Monsieur,  "  cried  Peter;  "white  snow." 

■"  White  snow,"  said  Monsieur. 


178       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"You're  progressing  rapidly,"  said  Peter,  with  an 
encouraging  smile;  "learning  the  American  tongue 
fast." 

''Oui,  Old,  Monsieur,"  returned  the  Frenchman. 
Then  a  glimmer  of  fun  came  into  liis  eyes.  He  pointed 
a  finger  to  the  Giant  who  was  descending  Ruling's  liill. 

"Large  boy/z/,"  he  cried  with  a  burst  of  laughter. 

The  Frencli  gentleman  made  a  new  friend  that  day  on 
the  hill.  The  Giant  introduced  liim  to  the  fice-dog,  and 
the  fice-dog  held  out  his  hand  gravely.  Little  Willie 
Scott  was  given  more  turns  than  fell  to  liis  share,  but 
no  one  grumbled.  He  stayed  as  long  as  anybody,  and  was 
carried  home  by  the  Frenchman. 

"He  is  a  nice  man  and  a  smart  man,"  said  the  fice- 
dog  the  next  time  he  saw  the  Giant.  "  He  learned 
three  words  on  the  way  to  our  house,  and  he  learned  a 
whole  sentence  in  the  house,  and  he  said  good-by,  and 
carried  his  hat  until  he  was  on  the  street  as  good  as 
any  American." 

The  Moonbeams  visited  Peter  Hop  wood  a  third  time 
on  that  jolly  Saturday. 

"Peter,"  the  Giant  said  to  him,  "why  did  you  not 
tell  us  that  you  were  going  to  become  a  man  ?  Then 
we  would  have  been  prepared  for  wonders." 

"Well,"  said  Peter  cheerfully,  "the  heavens  haven't 
fallen,  and  the  week's  over. " 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB,  179 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

|HE  Moonbeam  Club  continued  to  thrive  as 
the  winter  advanced,  the  boys  keeping 
stanchly  to  their  unwritten  resolutions. 
Rain,  snow,  hail,  and  even  an  unexpected 
blizzard,  failed  to  retard  the  work  of  the  industrious 
Moonbeams.  A  great  quantity  of  snow  fell  that 
winter,  and  the  wood-cutting  and  street-cleaning  be- 
came a  necessary  part  of  the  life  of  a  Moonbeam. 
Steve  Roberts  passed  a  successful  examination,  to  the 
joy  of  many  people,  and  was  received  among  his  fel- 
low-students with  clamorous  welcome.  From  that 
moment  Steve  became  "Judge  Roberts." 

"Judge  Roberts,"  said  the  Giant  one  day,  "I  move 
that  you  call  a  meeting  next  Saturday  evening.  I 
have  something  of  very  great  importance  to  say  to 
my  brothers,  the  Moonbeams." 

"  I  second  the  motion,"  cried  Peter  Hopwood. 

"All  right,"  said  Judge  Roberts. 

"Where  will  we  meet?  "  inquired  Singleton  Fields. 

"  The  meeting  will  be  held  at  my  own  house,"  said 
the  Judge. 

"  All  riofht !  "  cried  the  Moonbeams. 

"  I'd  like  you  to  come  to  dinner,"  said  Steve.  "  Let 
the  day  be  Saturday." 


180       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  All  right !  "  cried  the  Moonbeams. 

A  very  jubilant  Baby  Day  was  nearing  its  close  when 
the  Moonbeams  gathered  together  in  Mrs.  Roberts's  little 
parlor.  They  were  not  kept  long  waiting  for  dinner, 
Steve's  grandmother  being  of  the  opinion  that  boys 
were  always  hungry.  It  was  a  most  excellent  dinner; 
and  the  boys,  who  upon  this  occasion  were  very  hungry, 
did  it  full  justice. 

"You  ougiit  to  be  proud  of  your  grandmother. 
Judge,"  said  the  Aristocrat,  after  the  meal  was  over, 
and  the  ]\Ioonbeams  were  again  in  the  little  parlor. 

"I  am,"  said  Steve. 

"  Monstrously  proud  of  her,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  I  am,"  said  Steve. 

"  She  gave  us  a  mighty  good  dinner,"  said  Peter. 

"  That  she  did,"  agreed  the  Giant ;  "  but  now  we  will 
proceed  to  business."  Tlie  great  fellow  rose  to  his 
feet,  and  rubbed  his  hands  complacently,  one  over  the 
other.  "I  have  taken  it  upon  myself,"  he  began, 
"being  the  tallest  of  the  company,  or,  rather  it  has 
been  thrust  upon  me,  owing,  undoubtedly,  to  the  fact 
that  I  am  the  tallest  of  the  company,  to  put  before  you 
this  evening  a  very  important  question,  to  be  sat  upon 
by  the  lot  of  3'ou,  and  to  be  decided  by  no  less  a  per- 
sonao^e  than  Judo-e  Roberts." 

The  Moonbeams  cheered. 

"Now,  before  I  put  this  very  important  question," 
continued  the  Giant,  "  it  will  not  be  a  bad  idea  for  us 
to  review  the  work  done  by  the  Moonbeam  Club  during 
its  short  existence." 


THE  MOONBEAM   CLUB.  181 

William  Scott  seated  himself  amid  a  second  rousing 
cheer,  and,  regarding  the  rest  of  the  Moonbeams  ^Yith 
affectionate  eyes,  inquired,  ''  Well,  fellows,  what  all 
have  we  done  ?  " 

''In  the  first  place,"  said  Peter,  "we've  cut  wood, 
cords  and  cords  of  it.  We've  got  lots  of  fun  out  of  the 
exercise,  to  be  sure  ;  but  then  a  number  of  people  have 
been  made  happy,  all  the  same." 

"  That,  after  all,"  said  the  Giant,  "  is  the  mission  of 
a  Moonbeam,  to  make  people  happy." 

"  Aye,  aye  !  "  cried  the  Moonbeams. 

"Then  we  learned  a  lot  of  mathematics,"  said  Tom 
Risley,  "  and  contemplate  learning  a  lot  more,  and 
growing  better  acquainted  with  astronomy." 

"  Which  generous  act  on  the  part  of  the  Moonbeams 
has  made  one  fellow  very  thankful  and  very  happy,"  said 
the  Judge. 

"  Well,  it's  helped  us  all,"  said  tlie  Giant. 

"  It's  helped  me  more  than  a  little,"  said  Singleton. 

"  Then  we  cleaned  the  streets,"  said  John  Sedgwick ; 
"  and  there's  happiness  in  that  too.  I  know  I'm  on 
more  friendly  terms  with  a  number  of  people  than  I 
was  before  I  helped  to  clean  the  streets." 

"  Yes,  and  it's  jolly  too,"  cried  tlie  Aristocrat.  "  A 
fellow's  muscle  increases  wonderfully  when  he  cuts 
wood  for  two  hours  a  week,  and  cleans  the  streets  witli 
all  the  strength  that  is  in  him.  Gymnastics  don't  hold 
a  candle  to  work  like  that." 

"  Kitty  Burns  is  made  comfortable  for  a  year,"  said 
Risley.     "  Of  course  the  Moonbeams  didn't  furnish  the 


182  SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

money;  but  if  Sandy  Brown  hadn't  found  out  about 
Kitty  Burns,  and  told  the  story  about  the  poor-house, 
and  recited  poetry,  and  all  that  " — 

"  Oh,  pshaw  !  "  cried  the  Aristocrat. 

"  And  if  we  all  hadn't  helped  about  the  iron-holders," 
added  Peter.  "  No,  glory  !  the  Scotchman  would  never 
liave  handed  out  the  necessary  wherewithal." 

'•By  the  way,"  said  the  Giant,  "I  have  a  romantic 
little  story  to  relate  about  Kitty  Burns  and  the  quilt." 

"Who  bought  it?"  cried  Peter. 

"Did  Mrs.  Kurtland  buy  it?  "  asked  the  Aristocrat. 
'*  She  said  she  was  Sfoingr  to  see  it." 

"No,  Mrs.  Kurtland  did  not  buy  it,"  said  the  Giant; 
"  you  are  not  even  warm." 

"  Did  the  Sunbeam  Club  buy  it?"  asked  Singleton. 

"  No,"  said  the  Giant ;  "  the  Sunbeam  Club  has  done 
many  wonderful  things,  but  it  did  not  buy  the  quilt." 

"  Give  it  up  I  "  cried  Risley. 

"It  was  the  Scotchman  who  bought  the  quilt,"  said 
the  Giant. 

"  No  !  "  roared  the  astonished  Moonbeams. 

"I  think  it  must  have  been  the  poetry  that  did  the 
work,"  said  tlie  Giant.  "  Anyway,  I  know  for  a  fact 
that  the  Scotchman  bought  the  quilt.  It  was  in  the 
following  manner  that  I  acquired  my  knowledge.  I 
was  walking  along  the  street  the  other  day,  when  I 
noticed  the  old  gentleman  in  front  of  me.  He  was 
doubly  noticeable,  owing  to  the  enormous  package  that 
he  carried.  This  gigantic  parcel  was  done  up  carefully 
in  newspaper,  and  was  pinned  at  the  cornei-s.     I  was 


THE  MOONBEAM   CLUB.  183 

wondering  what  in  the  world  could  be  in  it,  when  lo, 
and  behold !  Mr.  Andrew  slipped.  By-the-way,  we 
mustn't  leave  slipper}^  places  when  we  clean  streets. 
Mr.  Andrew  slipped,  and  let  go  the  newspaper  package 
in  the  effort  to  right  himself.  I  am  active  if  I  am  large, 
and  I  skipped  forward.  The  newspaper  had  obligingly 
burst  asunder ;  my  curiosity  was  more  than  gratified, 
for  there  was  the  quilt.  I  had  never  seen  it,  but  I  had 
heard  the  Aristocrat  describe  it.  Beyond  the  shadow 
of  a  doubt  it  was  the  poetry  that  did  the  business. 
Sandy,  my  friend,  allow  me  to  congratulate  you." 

"  The  Aristocrat's  brain  is  in  fair  and  square  condi- 
tion," said  Singleton.  "  He's  given  us  the  taffy-pulling 
that  we  sighed  for ;  and  since,  he's  had  us  manufactur- 
ing sleds  in  the  hotel  basement;  why,  I  tell  you  what, 
he's  pushed  the  cause  along  amazingly." 

"•.  The  Moonbeam's  no  slouch,"  said  Risley. 

"  Monsieur  Devereux  was  a  worthy  subject,"  said  the 
Aristocrat ;  "  and  we  haven't  done  half  bad  at  French, 
either.  If  the  evening  is  to  be  devoted  to  the  tooting 
of  one  another's  horns,  I  believe  I'll  toot  Singleton 
Fields's.  Mon  ami^  have  your  new  books  been  found? 
They  have  been  found.     Where  ?     Under  the  bed."  • 

"  We  are  not  tooting  one  another's  horns,"  said  Peter  ; 
"  we  are  simply  stating  facts.  Monsieur  Devereux  has 
done  wonders.  He  drives  straight  ahead.  Glory  !  I 
can't  help  what  is  said  to  the  contrary,  the  Englisli 
language  must  be  easy  to  learn.  The  fellow  spells  first- 
rate,  and  his  grammar  is  "  — 

"  Above  reproach,"  murmured  Sedgwick. 


184       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

''  Monsieur  is  all  right,"  said  the  Giant.  "  God  bless 
him !     He's  friends  with  my  little  fice-dog." 

"  The  very  best  work  that  the  Moonbeams  have  done, 
as  far  as  I  can  see,"  said  Risley,  "  is  the  work  of  assist- 
ing the  Sunbeams  in  perpetuating  Baby  Day.  Three 
cheers  for  '  Baby  Day.'  " 

Steve's  little  grandmother,  in  the  adjoining  room, 
laughed  heartily  when  the  three  cheers  were  given. 

"  Let  them  have  their  fun,"  she  said  to  the  old  grand- 
father. "  They  can't  do  any  harm.  The  roof  is  on.  the 
house  to  stay  for  a  while." 

The  Giant  rose  to  his  feet  again. 

"  We  have  all  done  remarkably  w^ell,"  he  said  blandly; 
"and  now  for  the  important  question.  The  boys  of 
Lovettsville  who  do  not  belong  to  the  organization 
known  as  the  Moonbeam  Club,  are  clamorously  calling 
for  admittance.  Is  it  right  and  proper  for  the  organiza- 
tion to  refuse  them  admittance  ?  " 

"  No  I  "  roared  the  Moonbeams. 

"  But  what  are  we  going  to  do  about  it?  "  inquired 
Peter.     "How  are  we  going  to  manage  affairs?" 

"  By  admitting  them,"  cried  the  Aristocrat. 

"  The  question  is  put  to  you  by  request,"  said  the 
Giant.     "  I  beg  you  to  sit  upon  it." 

"  I  can  sit  on  it  all  right,"  said  Singleton ;  "  but  I 
don't  see  how  w^e'll  arrange  matters." 

"Suppose  the  Judge  gives  his  opinion,"  said  Sedg- 
wick. 

"  Rise  to  the  occasion,  Steve,"  said  the  Giant. 

"  I  can  rise  to  my  feet,"  said  Steve,  "  but  I'm  not  at 


THE  MOONBEAM   CLUB.  185 

all  sure  that  I  can  rise  to  the  occasion.     You  fellows 
know  more  about  arranging  things  than  I  do." 

"Are  we  to  admit  the  petitioners?"  asked  the  Giant. 

"  I  say,  yes,"  answered  the  Judge. 

"  Now  I  suppose  we'll  sit  upon  it,"  said  Peter. 

"  Exactly,"  said  the  Giant. 

"  We  could  divide  the  members  into  sixes,"  said  the 
Aristocrat  musingly. 

'*  And  let  each  half-dozen  fire  ahead,"  added  Risley. 

"  Yes,  we  could  do  that,"  said  Sedgwick.' 

"  Allowing  the  whole  to  come  together  on  such  grand 
occasions  as  wood-cutting  and  street-cleaning,  eh  ?  "  in- 
quired the  Giant. 

*'Yes,"  said  Peter  solemnly.  "It  would  be  better, 
though,  to  divide  them  into  tens,  and  each  fellow  could 
think  for  a  night  until  they  get  round.  If  they're  in 
sixes,  on  the  wood-nights  and  the  street-cleaning  nights, 
two  fellows  will  be  knocked  out  of  their  thoughts." 

"  Horrible,  most  horrible  !  "  cried  the  Giant. 

"What  about  Baby  Day?  "  asked  the  Aristocrat. 

"  I  never  thought  of  that,"  said  Peter  humbly. 

"A  great  many  new  arrangements  will  have  to  be 
made,"  said  the  Giant.  "  I  move  that  we  hold  a  meet- 
ing in  the  town  hall  next  Saturday  evening,  inviting 
the  presence  of  every  boy  in  Lovettsville  who  wishes 
to  join  the  organization." 

"  I  second  the  motion,"  cried  Peter. 

"  We  could  continue  to  hire  the  hall  now  and  then 
for  special  occasions,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  Fine  !  "  cried  Risley. 


186       SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  We  could  establish  a  sort  of  court  of  law,"  said  the 
Aristocrat.  "  A  Moonbeam  ought  to  —  well,  he  oughtn't 
to  swear,  or  lie,  or  things  like  that." 

"  No,"  said  the  Giant ;  "  he  ought  by  all  means  to  be 
a  well-regulated  individual." 

"  We  must  write  out  certain  rules,"  said  the  Judge, 
"and  read  them  at  the  meetings." 

"  And  we  ought  to  have  an  initiating  ceremony,"  said 
Singleton. 

"  Glory !  but  we'll  have  lots  of  fun,"  cried  Peter. 
Then  he  added,  "  I  think  we  ought  to  let  the  Sunbeams 
know  all  about  this." 

"  We  will,"  said  the  Giant. 

The  Sunbeams  received  the  intelligfence  of  the  out- 
come  of  the  important  question  on  Monday.  It  came 
to  them  in  a  business-like  document  addressed  to  the 
Sunbeam  Club,  Care  Miss  Carrie  Offutt;  and  Carrie 
at  once  sent  out  messages  for  the  girls  to  come  over  in 
the  evening.  "  I  have  a  letter  from  the  Moonbeams," 
Carrie  scrawled  in  each  note  that  Nancy  Maude  was 
enticed  into  carrying  around ;  "  I  haven't  any  idea  what 
is  in  it.  It  is  addressed  to  The  Sunbeam  Club.  It 
appears  to  be  very  long.  My  curiosity  is  terribly  excited. 
Come  over  as  soon  after  dinner  as  you  can." 

Rose  Thompson  was  the  most  tranquil  of  the  Sun- 
beams that  gathered  around  the  letter  from  the  Moon- 
beams, and  it  was  she  who  read  it  aloud. 

The  Sunbeams  listened  breathlessh\  even  to  the  read- 
ing of  the  last  signature,  and  then  they  burst  out :  — 

"I  knew  the  Moonbeam  Club  was  going  to  be  a 
powerful  organization ! " 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB.  187 

"  So  did  I.     I  saw  it  from  the  first." 

"  Isn't  it  just  grand  I  " 

"  Going  to  meet  at  the  town  hall  and  initiate  the  new 
members.     Whew ! " 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  a  better  boy  in  the  whole 
world  than  William  Scott." 

"  But  it  was  Peter  Hop  wood  who  thought  of  the 
Moonbeam  Club." 

"  It  came  upon  him  suddenly." 

''  Don't  you  think,"  said  Annie  Winthrop  after  a 
little,  "that  the  Sunbeam  Club  ought  to  broaden  out 
too?" 

"  Yes,"  cried  the  Sunbeams  clamorously. 

"  Of  course  we  cannot  do  very  much  work  this  win- 
ter," said  Rose  Thompson ;  "  for  the  Sunbeam  Club  is 
really  a  vacation  organization." 

"  Only  we  have  Baby  Day,"  said  Effie. 

"  And  Baby  Day  is  ever  so  much  better  now  that  the 
Moonbeams  help,"  cried  Carrie.  "  Girls,  I'm  enthusi- 
astic over  the  Moonbeam  Club." 

"  So  am  I,"  cried  Madge  Hilton. 

"  So  are  we  all,"  said  Lula  Briggs. 

"We  can  make  our  plans,"  said  Rose;  "and  we  can 
initiate  members." 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  Effie,  "  can  we  hire  the  town  hall  ?  " 

"We  will  have  to  hire  the  town  hall,"  said  Carrie, 
"in  order  to  have  room." 

"  It  was  nice  of  the  boys  to  write  to  us,"  said  Effie. 
"  Moonbeams  think  of  so  many  pleasant  things." 

"  That  night  you  were  over  here,  Effie,"  said  Carrie, 


188        SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS. 

"  and  Nancy  Maude  came  in  and  asked  us  if  we'd  been 
listening  at  the  window,  and  we  went  over  to  the  win- 
dow and  looked  out,  and  heard  the  boys  singing  and 
whistling,  and  saw  that  they  were  cleaning  the  snow  off 
the  streets,  I  felt  it  in  my  bones  that  the  Moonbeam 
Club  of  Lovettsville  was  going  to  perform  wonders." 

"They  have  been  so  kind  to  the  Frenchman  at  the 
hotel,"  said  Madge  Hilton.  "He  thinks  that  Lovetts- 
ville is  the  most  charming  place  in  America;  indeed, 
indeed,  he  does,  girls.     He  told  papa  so." 

"And  they've  been  good  to  little  Willie  Scott,"  said 
Effie.  "They  say  the  Giant  carried  him  around  on  his 
back  that  night  of  the  first  wood-cutting,  and  has  had 
him  out  twice  since  when  it  wasn't  too  cold,  besides  the 
coasting,  and  all  that,  and  the  city  doctor  says  that  the 
little  fellow  is  improving  in  health  wonderfully." 

The  Sunbeams  talked  a  while  longer  before  the  five 
of  them  departed ;  and  after  that  Carrie  rushed  through 
the  house  hunting  for  paper  and  pen  and  ink,  and  when 
she  found  them,  she  wrote  the  following  letter  to  her 
mother,  who  was  spending  a  month  in  the  city:  — 

Lovettsville,  Feb.  10,  1892. 
Dear  Mamma,  —  I  know  you  wiU  be  astonished  to  receive  this 
letter  as  I  wrote  to  you  only  yesterday  afternoon.  But  something- 
has  happened  since  that  I  want  to  tell  you  right  away.  What 
do  you  think,  the  Moonbeams  are  going  to  allow  all  the  boys  in 
Lovettsville  to  join  the  club.  For  this  purpose,  they  will  hold  a 
meeting  in  the  town  hall  next  Saturday  evening.  They  are  going 
to  have  written  rules  and  regulations,  and  each  party  will  be  dis- 
tinct, except  now  and  then,  when  all  the  Moonbeams  will  work 
together.     Won't  that  be  grand  ? 


THE  MOONBEAM  CLUB,  189 

The  Moonbeams  wrote  us,  the  Sunbeams,  a  letter,  telling  us 
all  about  it ;  and  we  have  decided  that  we  also  will  hold  a  meeting 
in  the  town  hall,  and  allow  all  the  girls  of  Lovettsville  to  join  the 
Sunbeam  Club.  I  am  sure  they  will  like  to  do  it.  \Ve  are  think- 
ing of  having  blue-ribbon  badges.  If  you  see  any  pretty  pale- 
blue  ribbon  that  you  think  will  suit  the  purpose,  I  wish  you  would 
get  it  for  us,  and  charge  it  up  on  my  next  allowance.  I  would  like 
to  do  that  much  for  the  society. 

The  girls  left  here  only  a  few  minutes  ago.  We  all  think  that 
the  Moonbeams  have  gone  far  ahead  of  us,  but  we  are  not  at  all 
envious.  There  are  ever  so  many  things  that  Moonbeams  can 
think  of  better  than  Sunbeams,  and  ever  so  many  things  that 
Moonbeams  can  do  better  than  Sunbeams.  Won't  it  be  delight- 
ful to  have  meetings  in  the  town  hall,  and  badges  ? 

I  wonder  if  the  Lovettsville  people  wall  be  glad  when  all  the 
boys  are  Moonbeams  and  all  the  girls  are  Sunbeams.  But  just 
to  think,  there  wouldn't  be  any  jNIoonbeams  or  Sunbeams  or  any- 
thing if  that  Sunday,  ever  so  long  ago  it  seems  now,  the  girls  in 
our  Sunday-school  class  hadn't  walked  along  the  Lovettsville 
street  trying  to  think  of  something,  and  Annie  Winthrop  hadn't 
thought  suddenly  of  the  Sunbeam  Club. 

I'll  be  very  glad,  my  dear  mamma,  when  you  and  the  babies 

come  home ;  but  I  trust  that  you  are  having  a  splendid  time  and 

that  possibly  you  will  see  some  ribbon  that  you  think  will  suit, 

and  will,  just  for  once,  allow  me  to  draw  my  allowance  in  advance. 

Your  affectionate  daughter, 

Carrie. 

P.  S.     The  last  Baby  Day  was  the  grandest  thing  w^e  ever  had, 

but  I'd  rather  tell  about  it  than  write.  „ 

Carrie. 

As  time  went  by,  Lovettsville,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the 
world,  continued  to  receive  its  share  of  earthly  sorrow 
and  trouble ;  but  neither  time,  nor  sorrow,  nor  trouble, 


190    '   SUNBEAMS  AND  MOONBEAMS, 

has  ever  caused  a  single  person  in  the  American  town 
to  regret  the  establishment  of  the  two  clubs,  or  to  })e 
anything  but  jubilant  over  the  fact  that  the  Lovettsville 
3^oung  people  are,  in  the  language  of  Nancy  Maude, 
"Sunbeam  girls  and  Moonbeam  boys." 


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